Kingdom Hearts: Locked Remix
by Scream4me
Summary: “I’ll be there to hold your hand, To guide you to the door, So that you may look upon, What I have kept hidden all this time, I want to share it with you… Because you have shared with me, What my Heart could not feel before.”
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Not mine, yay!

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**Kingdom Hearts: Locked Remix **

A TV screen flickers to life and turns dark.

**Prologue**

_"I'll be there to hold your hand,_

_To guide you to the door,_

_So that you may look upon,_

_What I have kept hidden all this time,_

_I want to share it with you…_

_Because you have shared with me,_

_What my Heart could not feel before."_

_– Kingdom Hearts: Locked Remix_

Where was he? Sora did not know. All his blue eyes could see was a great black expanse of darkness. But he felt he was falling, falling through an endless abyss. As he drifted down he plunged into a pool of water.

Sora broke through the water's crystal surface and looked around, noticing he was in the ocean of his home, Destiny Islands. Sora looked back, seeing his friend Riku further off shore. The silver-haired teen stretched a hand out, reaching for him. His aquamarine eyes stared down at Sora mysteriously. The brown-haired boy struggled to reach his older friend's hand.

Sora looked up just as he touched Riku's hand. A large foaming waved pummelled him down onto the sand bar. Riku stood his ground, his hand still reaching out. The water rushed around Sora, dragging him backwards.

Sora's lungs screamed for air. The young teen responded and pushed up to the surface.

"Sora!" called a voice.

Sora turned and saw Kairi, the girl he had feelings for. She waved happily and Sora grinned at her, racing up onto the shoreline to meet her. As he approached her, the red-head's violet eyes widened and she gasped. Her gaze turned to the sky. Sora turned to see what his friend was looking at and gasped in surprise.

It was him, Sora, falling through a sky full of glowing comets.

A strong tug pulled Sora down through the sand. Kairi shouted sharply and watched in horror. Sora looked down and saw that he was falling through the sky, just as he had watched a few seconds earlier.

Suddenly, a hand grabbed onto Sora's own. The boy looked up into a pair of eyes, one pupil being white and the other black. They belonged to a girl his age with silvery-blonde hair that streamed behind her as they fell. A pair of wings complimenting the separate colours of her eyes fluttered in the wind.

"Please… help me…" The girl whispered. Her eyes glanced back and terror spread across her face. Her hand slid out of Sora's as she was jerked upwards, away from him.

Sora continued to fall. Down below he saw a spot of light. It grew, bigger and bigger until Sora softly landed on a circular platform. The shining light on the ground split apart as pure white doves winged their way into the darkness. A picture in stained glass slowly revealed itself to him. It was a woman dressed in strange, yet beautiful clothes.

Sora looked around in confusion.

"So much to do, so little time," echoed an ethereal voice.

Three pedestals rose out of the ground…

"Don't forget," said the voice mystically. "You are the one, who will open the door and free the lock…"


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Not mine, yay!

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Chapter 1- Ansem Report Supplementary 1**

An interesting turn of events has arisen since I abandoned my body to search for the darkness; a travelling companion. I met her in the abyss of clouded darkness.

The girl is an extremely strange creature. I can only guess that she is an angel from her white wings. Her age is hard to tell, but she seems to be around fourteen. I have asked the girl of her name, yet she refuses to tell me. She has told me little about herself, choosing to speak only when necessary. From what has told me, she was sent to serve as a master lock to the final door.

I asked her about this 'final door'. She said the final door is the door to the Heart of all Worlds. I tried to question her further, but she only shook her head. I then attempted to ask her more about her purpose as a lock. Again she shook her head, save for telling me that 'only time will tell'. I am not sure what she meant, but I can wait.

After a long time of travel, I asked her about her Heart. She replied; 'My Heart is gone and scattered and the light it was replaced with is fading fast…'

After this she disappeared into the abyss. I will find her again one day. She is the one who will help me open the door.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Not mine, yay!

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**Chapter 2- The Darkness in the Light**

A young Sora crept into the Secret Place by the waterfall. This would now be the second time he had been in there, but it still gave him the creeps. He had decided to go without Riku this time, so he could prove he was as brave as his rival and best friend. He entered the main part of the cave and suddenly felt unafraid as the eerie calmness of the place washed over him. He picked up a chalky, white stone and looked for a good spot to draw on. He spotted a rock just near the strange door that was in the wall. Riku and he had given it a good inspection the first time and they had decided it wasn't worth their interest. Bringing his attention away from the door, Sora raised his arm to draw. He stopped halfway through, feeling a cold breeze on the back of his neck. He swung around and came face to face with a strange looking girl a good few years older than him. A pair of clouded grey eyes studied him.

"The darkness… The darkness in your Heart gives you pain. Please, allow me to ease it for you." she said as she reached towards him with an open, grasping hand.

Sora felt something inside him disappear. He fell backwards in shock and hit his head against the rock. He blacked out. When he awoke a few minutes later, the girl was no longer there. Sora gazed at the wooden door embedded in the rock. There was a strange golden symbol on it, one that looked suspiciously like a keyhole of some kind. It faded when he blinked.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Not mine, yay!

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**Chapter 3- Ansem Report Supplementary 2**

After searching the abyss, I found the angel again. She has changed dramatically. One of her wings and one of her eyes has changed colour, from white to black. Perhaps it is true that the light in her is Heart fading?

She would not discuss with me where she had been or what she had done. All she could say is that 'It has begun'. The girl is very enigmatic.

Whilst I was away from her, I devised a plan to test her purpose. I had captured a Heartless and extracted the Heart it had stolen from some witless person unable to defend themself against the darkness. This left the Heartless in a purely dark liquid-like form that wiggled and squirmed.

Whilst the girl rested I bound her legs and arms together so that she could not escape. The girl awoke and struggled, but to no avail. I opened the jar with the Heartless inside it, and the creature flew out straight to the girl. She screamed as the Heartless entered her body, but there was nobody to hear her except me in this empty place.

The darkness in the Heartless caused an interesting reaction. The light in the girl's Heart was overwhelmed by it and slowly her white wing and eye changed to the colour of darkness. She stared up at me with contempt and agony mingled in her eyes. I could not care less. This newest experiment was fascinating.

In her pain she yelled at me; 'When you choose the darkness, you make an enemy of the light.'

Suddenly the girl disappeared, just faded away. She did not come back. Where she has gone, I do not know. But we will meet again. I know we will. Somehow I can hear her voice still.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Not mine, yay!

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**Chapter 4- The Light in the Darkness**

A young Riku prodded the sand in boredom. Sora was away helping his mum with the shopping. He had come to the island hoping to find the other kids, but the whole place was deserted. Riku turned to stare up at the Secret Place. Something inside him told him to go. Riku obeyed and ventured into the tunnel, following it until he got to the cave. Riku rubbed his eyes when he first saw it. There was a golden symbol on the wooden door that looked like a keyhole. Riku went over to study it. Suddenly there was a loud thump behind him. Riku turned and saw a girl lying on the ground. She had black wings and her arms and legs where bound. She shivered in pain.

"Please… I need your light…" she gasped and stared up into Riku's eyes.

Riku felt something deep inside him vanish.

"Thank you…" whispered the girl and she faded.

Riku backed up against the wall, scared of what he had just witnessed. Without a second thought, he fled from the cave.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Not mine, yay!

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**Chapter 5- Present Day**

Sora lay back on his bed, listening to a rock song that pulsed out of his CD player. He was contemplating about the strange day he was that weirdo in the brown robe? What did he mean by 'One who knows nothing understands nothing?'…

"I understand heaps." muttered Sora crankily. Or did he? He knew there must be other Worlds out there, but what were they like? Sora's brows knitted into frustration. Something was nagging at the back of his brain, a distant memory. That hadn't been the first time he had met someone in the Secret Place now that he thought about it. That strange girl…

'The darkness… The darkness in your Heart gives you pain. Please, allow me to ease it for you.' her voice repeated in his head softly.

Sora turned the crown emblem on his necklace over and over again in his fingers thinking. Who was that girl back then, and why did she ask that strange thing? Did she have some connection to the man from that day…?

"Maybe I do understand nothing…" Sora sighed.

He stared out to the island where he played and gasped. A storm was playing havoc over it, ripping out trees and piercing the ground with lightning.

"The raft!" Sora leapt out of bed and ran to his boat…

*****

Sora felt himself being swallowed by the darkness. Where was he…? Where was Riku? Where was Kairi? It was strange here, and frightening. Suddenly a shaft of light brought him out of the shadows and he was left with a large metal key in his hands.

"Keyblade…" The word echoed in his head.

Sora grasped onto the hilt with both hands and started to hack away at the dark creatures leaping at him.

*****

The darkness fled from a shining white road that disappeared into obscurity. Lying on the path, Riku awoke. He stood up quickly, hoping that Sora and Kairi had made it with him. They were not. Riku stared off into the never ending shadows.

"I can't disappear yet. Not until I know Sora and Kairi are okay." Riku mumbled to himself.

"You'll be there soon if you just follow the path." whispered a voice.

"What?" Riku asked as he searched for the source of the sound.

"Just keep following the path; you'll make it. You'll find your friends again." The voice spoke once more. It was full of encouragement.

"Thank you," Riku said and started to walk the path.

"Find your light, Riku. Its right here waiting for you…" The voice echoed and died.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Not mine, yay!

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**Chapter 6- The Voice of an Angel**

"Go with them Sora, they'll help you find your friends." said Leon after Sora had beaten the giant Guard Armour Heartless.

Sora nodded and shook hands with Donald and Goofy, his new found friends

*****

"We should stock up on potions and such before we leave, Sora." advised Donald as he, Sora and Goofy passed the shop where Donald's nephews were.

"Ahyuk, yeah." said Goofy with a laugh. "Potions are vitti…vittle…"

"Vital!" Donald corrected his forgetful friend as they entered.

"Aw, I don't think we'll need any." Sora flapped a hand. "We're strong enough. Look how easily we beat that big Heartless back there!"

Sora felt a feathered hand thwack him over the head.

Donald glared at him angrily. "From here on everything will get harder! The next set of Heartless will be stronger than the ones we've encountered here, no doubt."

"Fine then..." Sora pouted and they entered the shop.

"Uncle Donald!" screeched three small white ducks resembling the magician. They leapt at him and tackled their uncle to the ground.

"Ah, phooey." complained Donald and he pushed the boys off of him.

"Ahyuk, we're here to get some potions." Goofy chuckled as he talked to Louie.

Louie nodded and went behind the counter. He grabbed a bag and towed it out. "That'll be five-…"

All six of them fell to the floor as an earthquake shook the shop. A bright light flashed from outside the windows. Sora was the first to get up, Keyblade in hand.

"What's going on?" he demanded.

"Maybe we should check out the alley?" suggested Goofy as he pointed to the back window that still shone.

The trio left and ran to the alleyway out the back.

"Whoa…"

All three of them gaped with wide eyes. Just above them a large portal swirled, full of strange symbols and ancient writing. Three beams of light shot down onto the ground and then combined to make one shaft. The portal did nothing more, like it was waiting for something.

"Sora, you go look." Donald and Goofy pushed the fourteen year-old forward.

"Aw, I don't want to!" Sora moaned, looked over his shoulder at them.

"But you're the Keyblade Master!!" Sora's 'companions' pointed and yelled at him angrily.

Sora gulped and edged towards the light. He stopped a metre away from it, hoping that nothing was going to jump out and attack him. Nervously he poked the beam with his Keyblade. Sora looked at it suspiciously and proceeded to stick the blade end of the Keyblade in. The light turned a black colour. Sora started to bring his Keyblade out but then realised it was stuck. He could feel something holding onto the end of his weapon.

"Donald! Goofy! Something's got the Keyblade!!" shouted Sora, panicking.

"Whaaa?" screeched Donald. "Come on, Goofy!"

The two grabbed onto Sora's back and began to pull. Slowly the end started to emerge. Sora's eyes widened. There was a hand holding onto the Keyblade… A human hand with soft creamy skin… Sora shook the Keyblade to try and loosen the hand's grip, but it held fast. Grunting, all three of them heaved the metal weapon out. The portal grew brighter and brighter until it blinded them.

*****

"Master of the Keyblade, Wielder of the Light." whispered a soft voice.

"…huh…?" Sora couldn't see a thing, he was in complete darkness. "Who's there?"

"Help me Keyblade Master… Help me remember who I am. You must help me to remember. There is still something important I must do, but I cannot remember what it is. Help me Keyblade Master…"

*****

"Erk…" Sora rubbed his head and went to sit up. He halted as he felt something lying on his chest.

"Sora? Are you alright?" asked Goofy as he awoke. "Ooh… who's this?"

Donald also awoke and walked over. The duck grinned slyly. "Is she your girlfriend, Sora?"

"What?! What are you talking about?"

Sora raised his head and saw a girl his age with long slivery-blond hair sprawled on top of him. Sora noticed she had a creamy complexion and was very pretty. He blushed when he saw that she was wearing not much more than a dress made of faded, torn rags. Slowly Sora wriggled out until the girl's head was on his legs. He stared at the pair of black and white wings on the girl's back.

"It's…, it's her…" he breathed, thinking back to his dream where he was falling through the sky and a girl like her grabbed his hand.

"Huh?" asked Goofy.

"Her, I mean, she, err... I've seen her before, in my dreams. Well, at least I think it's her. The wings are familiar." Sora tried to explain to his friends.

Donald inspected the girl enquiringly. "We should bring her to Leon. He'll know what to do."

Goofy gently picked the girl up and the four of them headed towards the Third District.

Sora put a finger to his lips as he thought about the words that voice had whispered to him whilst he had blacked out. 'Help me to remember...' he repeated slowly in his head as he followed.

*****

"Who is this strange girl?"

"No doubt she's here to help the Keyblade Master in his quest."

"Ha! She won't be of any use to him! We should just turn her into a Heartless!"

"She looks like a filthy bilge rat to me."

"Oh, everything looks like a bilge rat to you! You need a better monocle, old man."

"What?! How dare you-you bag of bugs!"

"Silence! Both of you!" commanded a new voice. The dark witch Maleficent leaned on her staff as she watched the image before her. "She would only have appeared lest it was for something of great consequence. Nevertheless, I feel as if she could be of some interference to our plans if we allow it. We must keep a vigilant eye upon her."

The shadowy figures glared at the girl and wondered about her reason for coming.

"However," Maleficent continued. "Will she help the Keyblade Master to defeat the darkness? Or will the darkness defeat her?"


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Not mine, yay!

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**Chapter 7- Memories**

"Ooh… Is she your girlfriend, Sora?" Yuffie giggled and nudged Sora playfully.

"For the last time, no!" snapped Sora. Leon and Aeris had done the exact same thing as well when they first saw the mysterious girl sleeping on the bed.

"Oh I was just kidding, Sora! You know that!" Yuffie winked and poked a tongue out at the Keyblade Master.

"Well, I've definitely never seen her before." said Aeris after looking at the girl.

"Mm…" Leon nodded in agreement.

Sora scratched the back of his head. "Just before we found her, I had this strange dream thing."

Everyone looked away from what they were doing to him.

"There was this voice. It told me to help it remember." Sora paused. "I think it was this girl's voice?"

Leon leaned against the wall in thought. "It probably was her voice, Sora. So, this girl is going to help you on your quest then?"

"I guess-" Sora was interrupted by a moan. He turned to see the girl open her eyes. Just as Sora secretly predicted, one was white and the other was black, just like in his dreams.

The girl blinked and sat up. She said nothing as she looked around to stare at the strange crowd of people she was with.

"Hello," smiled Aeris as she leaned down to the girl's eyelevel.

"Hello…" repeated the girl in a soft voice.

Sora compared the voice he had heard before to the girl's voice. It was the same voice. He looked over to Leon and nodded. He stayed silent but Sora knew what he had meant.

Aeris continued to smile. "So, where are you from?"

"From…?" The girl's eyes darted around wildly. "I don't know. I-I can't remember, not anything." Tears whelmed up in her eyes.

"There, there. It's okay." Aeris patted her on the back to comfort her.

The girl's eyes stopped and shifted their gaze to Sora. The boy froze.

"But, I do remember him." She pointed. "His name is Sora. He is the Wielder of the Keyblade."

Sora pointed to himself in turn. "You remember me? But I've never really met you!"

The girl thought then smiled at him. "Of course I remember you. I saw you in my dreams."

Sora blushed.

"At least, that's a start." Leon said. He turned his head to the girl. "I'm guessing that you don't have a name."

The girl shook her head in response.

"Alright then, we'll call you Iji."

Everyone eyed Leon with raised eyebrows. He ignored them as he looked down at the ground and closed his eyes.

"Iji…?" The girl queried.

"It means 'Memories'…" Leon opened his eyes and looked at Sora, Donald and Goofy. "You three will take Iji with you."

"The King never mentioned anything about this in his letter…" grumbled Donald to Goofy.

Sora frowned. If she knew about him, then how much did she know? Did she know he slept with a teddy bear at night…? Sora looked worried.

Aeris cut off Sora's thoughts. "But before she goes we have to get her some proper clothes. These won't do for exploring other Worlds."

"And I'll give her a weapon!" chimed in Yuffie.

"Are you sure that's a good idea, Yuffie?" asked Aeris.

"Yeah! Well, duh, she's gotta be able to protect herself against the Heartless!" said the ninja enthusiastically.

Iji's eyes widened at the sound of the name 'Heartless'. Her fingers gripped at the bed sheets, frightened. Deep in her mind, something unsettling stirred.

"Are you alright, dear?" Aeris asked with concern.

"I'm fine." smiled Iji. She changed the subject. "Did you say you'll get me some new clothes?"


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: Not mine, yay!

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**Chapter 8- Under the Stars**

"Uh, I've changed, Miss Aeris." Iji stepped out from behind the changing screen. She clasped her hands together behind her.

Aeris smiled. "You look wonderful, Iji, just perfect."

Iji had changed into a pair of flared hipster pants and into a sleeveless shirt that was held up by two small silver chains that connected onto a white studded collar. A matching pair of bracers wrapped around her wrists along with a matching belt with two chains dangling off of it. Iji looked at her feet in their new sandals.

"I don't think I've ever worn shoes before." she commented.

"Don't worry, you'll get used to them." Aeris tightened the straps on them for her. "I'm glad we were able to find such a pretty shirt that we didn't have to tear holes in it for your wings." Aeris stroked them, her expression softening into one of sadness. She didn't say it out loud, but in her mind she said to herself; 'They remind me of him… I hope you're okay… Cloud.'

"Miss Aeris?" Iji asked.

"Oh yes, your hair, Iji. Here, I'll put it into a ponytail. You don't want it getting into your eyes." Aeris took up a brush and hair band.

"Yuffie-chan appears!" shouted Yuffie as she suddenly popped up from out of nowhere.

Aeris and Iji jumped sky-high.

"Yuffie Kisaragi!" gasped Aeris. "You know how much I hate it when you do that!"

Yuffie grinned. "And that's why I do it. Anyway, I found the perfect thing for Iji! Tada!"

Yuffie presented Iji what looked like a pair of metal sticks attached to a ring. Yuffie took one and slid it onto her middle finger. She spun it around then stopped it and did a stabbing motion followed by a quick slashing movement. She took it off and gave it back to Iji.

"They're called Emei Piercers. I got the Moogles over at the Synthesis Shop to modify them just for you. I named them the 'Star Cutters'. Isn't it a cool name? Oh, careful now. They're sharp."

Iji looked them over, running a finger down one of them. On the end of each stick was a sharp star shape and on the tops of the rings there were a pair of crystal crown shapes with tiny ruby hearts embedded in the centre. Iji marvelled at how she could extend the rods when she pulled on them. Iji smiled her thanks and Yuffie ruffled her hair.

"Are you sure that's a good weapon for her?" Leon strolled into the room and inspected the twin weapons.

"Well, she isn't gonna be able to use a big heavy sword like yours." Yuffie put a hand on her hips and pointed to Leon's Gunblade. "Plus I think it's a very feminine weapon, just perfect for her. Of course, you wouldn't understand, Squall, being a guy and all."

Leon gave Yuffie a death-stare and shuffled out of the room, grumbling along the way. Yuffie winked at Iji, who giggled in return.

Aeris pushed Iji behind the changing screen once more. "It's time for you to get some rest now, Iji. You've had a big day. Change into some pyjamas and we'll get you to bed."

"Ok, Miss Aeris." said Iji happily.

Aeris sat down on the bed and looked out of the window to the stars. "She's like a little kid, waiting to be taught." she mumbled with a smiled.

*****

It was quiet on the roof. Sora leaned back and stared at the night sky. As he stared at one particular bright star, he saw it suddenly disappear. He silently cursed the Heartless for taking it away. Sora heard the roof tiles creak behind him. He turned around to see Iji slowly climbing her way up. She stumbled over suddenly as her pyjama leg got caught and Sora jumped up to grab her.

"Careful, Iji, you could fall off if you're not watching." He helped her up onto the top and got her settled. "Hey, um, Iji? Can I ask you something?"

Iji looked over at Sora and nodded. "Yeah?"

Sora poked at one of Iji's wings. "Can you fly with those things?"

Iji studied the wing Sora had poked. "I don't know, I can't remember…"

The pair sat in silence for a few minutes.

"Sora…?" asked Iji, breaking the silence.

"Hm?"

"I don't understand… How come I know so much about you, but I know nothing of myself?" She gazed into his sky-blue eyes.

"Er," Sora tried to find the right words. "Well, you see. Just before we found you, I heard this voice. It was your voice, I'm certain."

"My voice? What did I say to you?" Iji frowned.

"You said that I'm supposed to help you remember." Sora explained the best he could.

"You'll be able to help me gain my memories back Sora, I know you will." She smiled crookedly and shifted her glance to the stars. "It sure is beautiful out here." she whispered.

"Yea-" Sora paused in mild shock as Iji leaned her head on his shoulder. "…Yeah, it sure is." He smiled and put his head against hers.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: Not mine, yay!

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**Chapter 9- The Wonders of Wonderland**

It was morning and the most of the crew were sitting around eating breakfast. Goofy was talking to Aeris, trying to get her to laugh.

"Ahyuk! So I said to Pete, I said- "

"Yuffie-chan appears!!" Yuffie popped out from nowhere at the breakfast table, scaring everyone present half to death.

"Yuffie!!!!" groaned everyone present.

Iji yawned as she came out from her room. "I'm hungry…" she moaned. She perked up when she saw Sora. "Good morning, Sora." She waved and gave him a smile.

Sora stared as he saw her. He gave a silly grin and weakly waved his hand back. She sure looked great with those clothes on and after she had had a bath…

"Um, Sora? You've got a bleeding nose…" Yuffie pointed out.

Sora yelped and ran out of the room. All the girls present raised an eyebrow in question. Leon put a hand on his face and shook his head in embarrassment.

*****

"Whoaaa!!" Sora marvelled over all the shiny buttons on the ship. He wanted to push them and see what they did.

"Oi! Oi! Oi!!" A small chipmunk jumped up and yelled at him.

Sora stumbled back. Another chipmunk with a red-nosed polished the control panel.

The first chipmunk continued to rave. "If me or Chip sees you go near any of those buttons you'll be dead meat!! And take your shoes off while you're in the cockpit too! They're dirty!!"

Sora cried silent tears as he was shoved out into the engine room to take his shoes off. He came back in wearing a pair of grey-ish hole-riddled socks that smelt like leftovers forgotten in the fridge. Everyone stared at them in disgust until Sora also took them off.

He wanted to change the subject, quickly. "So where are we going?"

"Wonderland!" growled Donald irritably. "I told you this morning, remember!"

"Oh… yeah."

"Hey, Dale! We're here!" The red-nosed chipmunk, Chip, danced. "We're here everybody!"

Sora's jaw dropped open. "Already?! But I just took my shoes off!!"

"Sucks to be you then." chuckled the first chipmunk, Dale.

Sora death-stared at the chipmunk and went over to Iji. "Ready?" he asked her. "I hope that my friends are down there."

Iji nodded nervously and placed her Star Cutters on her fingers. "Um, I guess. I hope we find your friends too."

"Okay, let's get going then!" said Sora eagerly, towing Iji out of the airlock along with Donald and Goofy.

They both looked down into a dark pit. "Aiieeee!" They screamed as they fell down.

"That was fun!" giggled Iji as she lightly landed on the tips of her toes. She spun around happily and stopped in shock. "Oh, are you guys okay?"

Sora, Donald and Goofy had landed in a big pile. Sora and Donald pushed at each other, trying to get away as swiftly as possible. Goofy lay on the floor, slightly concussed.

"Ahh! I'm late, I'm late, for a very important date! No time to say hello, goodbye! I'm late, I'm late, I'm late!!" A strange, crazed white rabbit rushed past them violently flailing his arms around.

"…" The group stared.

"Ahyuk! He said he was late for a date." Goofy grinned like an idiot.

"No, really?" Donald rolled his eyes. "Come on, let's follow him."

The four of them ran after the rabbit until they came into a squishy room. They could only gape as they saw a tiny rabbit run into a small doorway, which closed behind him.

Sora leaned down. "How'd he get so small?" he asked nobody in particular.

"The problem is, you're simply too big!" the Doorknob responded.

"Ahhh!!! Demon doorknob!!" screamed Sora and Donald.

"Afternoon, sir. Ahyuk." Goofy tipped his hat.

Iji just blinked.

The Doorknob gave Sora a death-stare. "Must you be so loud? Just go over and drink some of that medicine over there." The Doorknob yawned. "I really need to get some sleep…"

Sora inspected the bottle on the table. He popped open the top and took a swig. Suddenly everyone shrunk down to the size of ants.

"Now we can go through?" asked Iji happily. She went over to the door. "Oh dear, he's sleeping." Iji poked the napping Doorknob, and it gave a choked snore. Iji giggled and poked it again.

"I don' think he's going to wake up." Goofy poked it as well.

"Hey, I think I see a way through here!" shouted Donald from near a hole in the wall.

"Awesome!" Sora sprinted towards it.

"Watch out!" said Iji as a group of Heartless appeared.

"Attack!" yelled Sora and started to hack away at them. "Iji! Stay back, we'll protect you!"

"I want to help too though!" she shouted. She was ignored. She clenched her Star Cutters tightly, wanting to use them.

"Come on you guys!" Donald disappeared through the hole.

*****

A trumpet blasted throughout the garden courtyard.

"Court is now in session!" yelled the White Rabbit.

Sora and the others paused to stare. Sitting in the judge's seat was a very large ugly woman waving a heart on a short staff. Surrounding her were what looked to be man-sized playing cards. They held weapons and stood stiffly.

"This girl is the culprit, no doubt about it! And the reason is… because I say so!" The woman fanned herself with the heart.

Sora's eyes moved to the girl standing in the defendant's box. She had fluffy blonde hair and wore a blue dress with an apron on top.

"That is so unfair! I've done absolutely nothing wrong! I don't know if it is true that you're a Queen, but it doesn't give you the right to be, to be so rude!" the girl protested.

The Queen glared at the girl, fire burning in her eyes. "I find the defendant guilty, for the charge of trying to steal the Heart of the Queen! Off with her head!!"

The girl looked like she was going to cry.

"No!" Sora shouted as he ran forth.

"Whaaaat?!" Smoke literally poured out of the woman's ears. "How dare you interrupt the court!"

The Queen's card soldiers closed in around the group.

"But Your Majesty, she's not the one responsible! We know who the culprit really is!" Sora yelled.

"Ahyuk. It's the Heartl-" Donald clamped a hand over Goofy's mouth.

The Queen calmed down and spoke in a sneering tone. "Well, little boy, do you have any proof?"

"Erm… no, but we can get some." Sora scratched the back of his head.

"Fine then, you have one hour in which to prove Alice innocent. Now get going!" The Queen pointed her sceptre toward an exit in the hedge.

Sora and the others obeyed and ran.

"In yonder wood resides the Cheshire Cat! Seek and ask him where he thinks this proof is at!" Alice called after them as she was hoisted up into the air inside a cage and a curtain was closed.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: Not mine, yay!

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**Chapter 10- The First Keyhole Sealed**

"My legs are tired!" moaned Sora after searching the Lotus Forest for half an hour. "Why couldn't we just have told that fat old lady about the Heartless?"

"Remember what I said about meddling, Sora…?" asked Donald with a sour look on his face.

"Er? Oh… yeah…" Sora sighed.

"Come on, Sora, you can do it!" Iji grabbed the boy's hand and pulled him towards a large mushroom.

Sora felt refreshed instantly as she cheered him on.

"Alas, so much to find in such little time." mused a purring voice from above them.

"Who's there?!" demanded Donald. He raised his staff to attack.

"Now, now, no need for that, o' fuzzy one! What ye are seeking, the Cheshire Cat knows all the truths!" A pair of yellow eyes appeared, followed by a pink and purple striped head and body. The head wobbled and rolled up and down the body's arms.

"Oooh! Can you help us, Mr. Cat?" asked Iji, glad that they finally found the feline.

The cat stared at her, looking content. "I suppose I can lend a paw." He waved a paw lazily and it popped off momentarily. Nobody laughed at the pun. The cat ignored them and continued. "The cat, the culprit and the answer all do in darkness lie. I can present to you the evidence you wish to obtain. If only you'll follow me…" The Cheshire Cat's body disappeared and the head started to bounce towards an exit.

"Oi! Wait for us!" Sora yelled.

They followed the head all the way into the strange room. It bounced to the top of the table and the Cheshire Cat's body reformed.

"What are we doing in here?" asked Goofy as he looked around.

"Yeah? Where's the evidence?!" Donald started to get steamed.

"Patience, patience," The cat merely put a paw up. A flame appeared at the top and the cat grinned widely. "They say where there is the brightest of flames; there are the darkest of shadows." The torches above on the roof suddenly burst into life and a dark shadow formed up from the ground. "You've prepared yourself for the worst? If not, too bad!" The cat disappeared and appeared up on a shelf.

"You lied to us!!" cried out Iji.

"You say I lied? Nay, I need not! The Cheshire Cat takes heart in aiding those in need!"

The towering Heartless clumsily bounded towards the group.

"Ahhh! Take this! FIRE!" Sora launched a fireball out of his Keyblade. It landed on the Heartless' batons and they caught on fire. The Heartless retaliated and spun its batons, sending flames everywhere.

"Aiiieeee!!!" screamed Donald, Goofy and Sora as they ran around with their backsides on fire.

"Ooh, burnie…" Iji inspected the fire on her pants curiously.

The Cheshire Cat chuckled. "It would seem you're in dire need of assistance. Rather a miracle you've made it this far. It is a pittance, but I shall grant to you what strength you lack." The cat clicked his fingers and a blue glow surrounded Sora.

"Huh? What's this?" Sora stopped and stared. Suddenly icicles shot out from the end, putting out his fire.

"You're the one they call 'The Bearer of the Key', do they not? It'd be a pity if you didn't know how to use magic, wouldn't it?" The pink and purple cat rolled over onto his back.

"You got Blizzard magic, Sora! Now… can you please put us out?!" yelled Donald, pointing at his fiery backside.

"Blizzard!" Sora shot an ice storm at Iji, Donald and Goofy.

When the mist dissolved, Sora saw that he had frozen all three of them in a giant iceblock. The towering Heartless swung a fiery baton at Sora. Sora ducked just in time and the baton continued and hit the iceblock. It shattered and Goofy and Donald burst out. Iji fell onto the floor, coughing some ice out of her mouth. Ice crystals clung onto her wings.

"Blizzard!!" shouted Sora again with more power.

The ice hit the Heartless and froze its batons. The Heartless paused to wonder what had happened to its fire.

"Now!" ordered Sora. "Iji, don't move!"

"But I can do it!" objected Iji.

She was ignored once more.

Sora and Goofy went in to attack directly whilst Donald started hitting it with blizzard attacks of his own. Soon enough the Heartless dropped down onto the floor and the Heart it had stolen flew away into the air.

"Sweet." said the Cheshire Cat, obviously impressed.

Sora panted and approached the table. "Now… can… we… have… the evidence?"

The feline grinned. "That was a show of innate talent, that display of yours. Your powers really do bloom true, if I do say! Keep it up and you'll be a florist someday!" The Cheshire Cat then pouted and looked aloof. "But I suppose so. Here, catch."

A box flew out from mid-air and hit Donald on the head. The duck screeched and yelled profanities at the cat. Sora picked up the box and opened it. A Solider Heartless popped out of it and ran for the hole in the wall. Sora yelled after it and gave chase. The Heartless sprinted into the court and leapt at the Queen. Sora vaulted to it and slashed it in two, just inches before it attacked the Queen.

"What-what was that?!" gasped the Queen, flabbergasted.

"That was your culprit!" said Sora. "Now let Alice go!"

The Queen recomposed herself. "Fine, the girl goes. Lower her down." The cage landed with a soft thud and the curtain unveiled, to reveal the blonde was missing. "Where has she gone?!" demanded the Queen of Hearts. "I want whoever did this to be found and have their head chopped off!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Her card soldiers trembled and ran out to search the area.

Sora looked at the others and nodded. They ran out to the strange room. "Where could she have gone?" asked Sora as he looked inside the fireplace.

Iji wandered around for a while before she came to the Doorknob. It snored softly.

"Is she behind that door?" Goofy suggested.

"Door…" Iji stared at it, as if hypnotised.

"Iji? You okay?" Sora walked up beside her. His eyes widened as they saw Iji's own pair cloud over and become a lifeless grey. He blinked. "I've… I've seen those eyes before. Ack, Iji!"

Iji stepped forward, ignoring Sora and focusing on the Doorknob. She raised a hand and lightly touched the Doorknob's nose. "Awaken and reveal." she said to it and stepped away.

The Doorknob twitched its nose. "What's with all this hullabaloo today?" It yawned and started to glow.

"A Keyhole!" gasped Sora as he saw the shape inside the doorknob's mouth.

Suddenly the Keyblade lurched forward and a beam of light shot out of it into the hole. A loud click sounded and a piece of something fell out. Goofy picked it up and gave it to Donald. The Doorknob closed his mouth and fell sleep again.

Sora turned to Iji. "Thanks, Iji."

Iji's smiled briefly and closed her eyes. When she opened them her eye colours had returned to normal. "Huh? Oh, sorry, Sora. I must have drifted off."

Sora looked at Donald and Goofy. They both shrugged at him.

"Superb performance, boy!" The Cheshire Cat clapped from up on the stove.

Sora yelled to it. "Have you seen Alice?!"

The cat vanished and popped up on the flower. "Negative!"

"Do you know where she's gone, Mr. Cat?" Iji approached him.

The cat paused before speaking. "Alice is neither her nor there, or available for any occasion. She has passed from this world, to where I cannot speak… Borne off by shadows, she has fallen to the darkness of obscurity…"

*****

"That wretched cat!"

"He's got a loose tongue he has."

"By the Kingdom I do swear… He should have been disposed of the very moment he refused our goodwill!"

"Bit too late for that, old man."

"We need not concern ourselves upon that trivial matter. Of greater concern are those infidel children. With the girl's help the boy was able to come across this Keyhole far earlier than previously projected."

"Who'd have thought she would have such powers?"

"Time is of the essence…"

"Worry not, friends…" Maleficent stepped up to the table. "It seems as though this girl has lost all sense of self, lest she would have pointed out the Keyhole the instant they reached the world. She could turn out to be of great assistance if we were to persuade her to help us. But, in the meanwhile…"

A spotlight turned on and Alice looked around nervously.

Maleficent continued as she smiled at Alice. "The pieces we seek have begun to assemble on the board…"


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: Not mine, yay!

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**Chapter 11- A Memory Regained**

Sora stared back at the diminishing world of Wonderland. "Riku and Kairi weren't there… Neither was the King, and now Alice is missing…" he sighed.

"What are your friends like, Sora?" Iji asked suddenly, gazing back at Wonderland as well. "I know their names, but I don't know who they are."

Sora thought out loud. "Kairi's got short red hair and pretty violet eyes. She's sweet, and always happy. She's also great to hang out with and she's really creative with arts and crafts. I love it when she smiles, and when she laughs, and when she just talks… And, Riku, well he's got silver hair and really bright aqua eyes. He's really strong too. I hardly ever beat him when we spar. He can get on my nerves sometimes, but he really is a good friend to have around. He's never afraid of anything... I miss them both…" Sora sighed again. "I remember when we were young and we'd go and hang out in the Secret Place by the waterfa-…"

Sora looked into Iji's eyes. His memory suddenly flashed back to when they were both at the Keyhole and saw that Iji's eyes had become a lifeless grey… Then his memories went further back to when he was little and he saw the same pair of eyes when he was in the Secret Place.

"Waterfa…?" asked Iji confusedly.

"I've met you before, Iji." Sora said uneasily.

"Of course we have, in our dreams." smiled the silvery-blonde haired girl.

"No, I mean… I mean seven years ago. When we were both little, I saw you in the Secret Place. You said something about the darkness in my Heart, and then you disappeared." He grabbed Iji's hand. "Do you remember, Iji?"

Iji stared into space. "It was a cave, with lots of rocks and you were about to draw on one."

"That's it Iji! Do you remember anything else? Like why you were there? What about the darkness in my Heart?"

Iji felt her heart give a sudden jump when he asked the last question. Ignoring it, Iji shook her head. "No, nothing else."

Sora grew disappointed. But at least he had gotten her to remember that much. A gloved hand sidled up to Sora's face and suddenly tugged back on his cheek.

"Owwww! What was that for?" Sora jumped up and down angrily whilst pointing at Donald.

"You gotta think happy thoughts, stupid! You're depleting our power supply!!" The duck pointed angrily at the gauge.

Dale attacked the left side of Sora's face, trying to prop it up with a broom stick. Chip attacked the other side and tried pulling it down.

"There are as many worlds as there are stars, and if you wanna live to see them all, you'd better cheer up immediately!" Donald said from the steering wheel.

"Ahyuk! We'll find them, Sora!" Goofy grinned.

"Guess you're right." beamed Sora.

He went over to Donald and wiggled his fingers.

"Hey, Donald… I wanna drive!" He grabbed the steering wheel and turned it.

"Ack!! No, Sora!!" screeched Donald as the Gummi Ship tumbled through space.

*****

Yuffie emerged from the Accessories Shop. "See ya, Mister Highwind!" She waved as she exited.

She saw the main gates open and Sora, Donald, Goofy and Iji walked in. They all looked terrible and smelt slightly burnt.

"Are you blind?!" Donald threw a tantrum. "You crashed us into a blasted meteor for crying out loud! What the hell is wrong with you!? You ain't ever touching the controls again ever!!"

Goofy looked concussed. "Ahyuk…"

"We need a bath…" commented Iji as she smelt the air.

Yuffie walked up to them.

Sora stopped and looked at her. "Uhhh… Anyways… we're back."

Yuffie blinked confusedly. "Er… Okidoke…?"

*****

"Hey cool, a cave." Sora said as he, Donald and Goofy made their way through the tunnels. They had left Iji with Yuffie so she could get cleaned up.

"So, you found the Keyhole?" asked Leon when they found him. He was drying his sweat-soaked hair with a towel. His Gunblade lay on the ground not far away.

"Yeah. Well, it was Iji really. She went all funny and then she made the Doorknob open its mouth and show us the Keyhole." Sora shrugged.

Leon rubbed his chin. "She's definitely something special, that girl. I've never heard of a being that can reveal Keyholes like she can. Ansem wrote about Keyholes though… The Heartless enter through unlocked Keyholes in able to reach the Heart of a world. They multiply and lurk within the darkness and then slowly eat away at the Heart."

"What happens next…?' asked Sora, though he was afraid of the answer.

Leon looked bleak as he said it. "The Heart of the world shatters, and then it is no more."

Donald, Goofy and Sora all gasped in shock.

Leon continued. "You see, Sora. Because the Keyblade chose you, it means you have to travel to other worlds and lock them too. Then the Heartless won't be able to infiltrate the world's Heart because Heartless can only get to the Heart of a world via an open lock."

"I'm not sure I can…" said Sora worriedly.

"I'm confident you'll succeed, Sora." Aeris wandered in with a tray of drinks. "I've prepared some barley tea for you all." She offered them around.

Leon declined, mumbling something about 'tea parties' and 'frilly dresses'.

"Oh, I've requested that Cid repair your Gummi Ship." mentioned Aeris.

Donald held up the Gummi Block that had fallen out of the Wonderland Keyhole. "We'd better get this to him too."

"Sora," Leon interrupted. "Have you been successful with Iji and her memories?"

Sora shook his head slightly. "Not really. Oh, I did get her to remember something from long ago, but I don't think it's of much help."

Leon looked grim for a second. "Keep it up. Get going and go see Cid now." Sora and the others left. Leon looked over at Aeris. "Maybe we should tell Sora about that fragment of report we have?"

He pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and opened it. At the top it said 'Ansem Report Supplementary 1'. The report was ripped in half, the tear going through and cutting off a sentence that read 'She was sent to serve as'…

Aeris frowned. "You think that the girl in that report is Iji, don't you, Leon?"

Leon nodded. "There's no other explanation apart from it. But what was Iji doing there? Who is she really?"


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: Not mine, yay!

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**Chapter 12- Meeting Merlin the Magician**

"Ya gotta be kiddin' me. Y'all got the collective brain cells of a brick if ya ain't got no clue what a navigation Gummi is." Cid eyed the Gummi block carefully. "This thingamajig here upgrades yer coordinate database for locations in known interspace… Let's ya go places where no man's been before an' all that jazz." Cid spat his toothpick out and got a new one. "In any case, it can't hurt ta' install it. Not like it'll crash the system or nuthin'."

Sora looked happy. "That means you'll install it for us, gramps?"

Cid gave Sora a death-stare for a second then grinned. "Toldja' before, kid. Need any help, and I'll lendja' some muscle. I ain't never broken a promise before. Bad for business that is." Cid grabbed something from under the counter. "Now, on the matter o' yer payment… There's a delivery job I need you kids ta' run fer me."

"Awww…." groaned Sora.

Cid towered over Sora, looking cranky. "Ever heard ta' principle of equivalent trade kid? Just shut yer trap and deliver the goods."

He held out an old book with some missing pages.

"Erk… gotcha, gramps." Sora grabbed the book and inspected it. "What's this? An exchange diary or something?"

"Arg! No!" yelled Cid. "Just bring it to that old house on the outskirts o' sector three. I'm countin' on ya ta' get it there."

*****

'Why won't you let me help, Sora? What use am I if you won't let me do anything?' thought Iji, staring out the hotel window. She thought back to when they were in Wonderland and Sora kept telling Iji to stay back and leave it to him.

Aeris sat a glass of barley tea down next to Iji. "Drink up, Iji. It'll make you feel better."

"Thanks, Miss Aeris."

Iji turned her attention away from the window and sipped the tea.

"This is nice." she said.

The brunette smiled. "Barley tea's a specialty of mine."

"Oh, Sora helped me remember something today, Miss Aeris." Iji placed the drink down and smiled.

Aeris stopped to listen. "What was it, dear?"

"He helped me remember when I first met him, when we were both little."

Aeris turned to look Iji in the eyes. "You've met Sora before?"

Iji nodded. "I met him in the…"

*****

"…Secret Place back home, doesn't it?" Kairi smiled.

"Kairi…?" Sora rubbed his eyes.

Her image melted away into oblivion.

CRASH! The wall behind Sora collapsed and a white-bearded old man stumbled through. He patted the dust off of himself and readjusted his long blue hat.

"Phew. Nearly missed my landing I did! Hah…" He spotted Sora. "Well, well. You've arrived sooner than I expected." He whisked the book away from Sora's hand. "My! The binding's as good as new! Highwind's gotten to be rather proficient at book restoration, hasn't he?"

Sora and the others watched as he opened up his bag and the place filled up with furniture.

The old man sat himself down on a chair and invited the others to sit. "The King asked that I grant you some assistance. My name is Merlin, and as you can see, I'm a magician of sorts."

"Do you know where the King is right now?" asked Donald excitedly.

"That, unfortunately, I do not know. We parted ways some time ago." Merlin flapped a hand. "I do know the purpose of his travels, though. There spreads, as we speak, a great discord across all creation. Your King seeks a means by which it might be quelled, that the end of days shan't envelop us all in darkness. In any case, he asked me to provide you all a lesson in the art of magic. Mind that you pay attention, Sora."

"Eh?" blinked Sora.

The magician placed both his hands under his chin. "You've done well yourself, learning to manipulate the Keyblade by instinct alone. But that reliance on instinct denies you the full capacity of the weapon. Conscious control of the blade's functions is essential to your cause. You mustn't forget your dream..."

Merlin positioned the book on the table.

"Oh. If by any chance you come across the pages in this book in your travels, I hope that you will save them for me. Between these covers, there once existed an entire world. It would be a crime to simply let it vanish into obscurity."

Sora wondered what happened to Kairi and Riku. Had they vanished into obscurity too?


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: Not mine, yay!

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**Chapter 13- ****Reunion**

"Jeez, the number of things we have to look for keeps rising!" complained Donald.

"Not a problem. We'll just get them one at a time." Sora grinned and started walking.

"Sora! Watch out!" Goofy yelled as a Solider Heartless jumped on Sora's back and clung on.

"Darn it!" shouted Sora and tried to grab at it.

A slicing sound came from behind him and the Heartless split in two, giving up its stolen Heart.

"Don't be spacing out like that, Sora. It's pathetic. I thought I taught you better than that!" said a familiar voice.

Sora's eyes grew wide as he swung around. "Riku?!"

Riku stood behind them, leaning on a strange bat-winged sword and grinning. "I've been looking all over for you, Sor-"

Sora leapt on Riku and pulled his face out wide by the mouth.

Riku swatted him off. "'The hell do you think you're doing, idiot?!"

"Whoa!!!" gasped Sora in disbelief. "It's you! It really is you! Rikurikurikurikurikurikuriku!!!"

Riku swatted Sora again. "Cut it out, Sora!" He recomposed himself. "So, Kairi's not with you?"

"No… I thought she was with you." Sora slumped and cried silent tears.

"Your face'll stay like that if you do it long enough you know." commented Riku. "Just look on the bright side. We've finally gotten to the outside world. We're free to go wherever the hell we want, and there isn't anybody stopping us. I'm sure we'll find Kairi in no time." Riku grinned. "Don't worry, just leave everything to me. With me around, you won't…"

Sora leapt into the air and sliced a Heartless in half that was sneaking up on Riku. Riku turned to stare.

"Leave it to whom?" Sora grinned back.

"Sora… what did you-" Riku gaped.

Sora placed a fist on his hip and swung the Keyblade over his shoulder. "Gotten a bit better, haven't I? I've been preparing for a rematch ever since I started looking for you and Kairi." He jabbed a thumb over to Donald and Goofy. "Hanging out with these guys is cool."

Goofy ruffled Sora's hair. "Our Sora here's the one chosen by the Keyblade, ahyuk!"

"Who'd have thought it?" Donald jumped in.

Riku plucked the Keyblade out of Sora's hand. "So this is the Keyblade that I've heard so much about, eh?" He studied it and raised an eyebrow.

"Ack! Hey! Give it back, Riku!" Sora reached out for it.

"Catch." Riku made it poof out of his hand and into the open hands of Sora.

Goofy looked amazed. "Whoa, how'd he do that, Donald?" He whispered.

"Probably usin' one of those functions Merlin said Sora hasn't mastered yet. Though, I kinda wonder…" Donald trailed off.

"Huh? Uhh…" Sora blinked and looked over his Keyblade, wondering what happened. He looked up. "Oh! Right! You're gonna be partyin' with us, Riku?" Sora backed up and put his arms around Goofy and Donald's shoulders. "We've got this really awesome rocket thingy! You can ride around with us if you want!"

Donald scowled. "We can't be wasting time bringing him, Sora! And it isn't your decision to make!"

Riku frowned as Sora and Goofy turned around to Donald to argue.

"Why not?!" demanded Sora. "C'mon! He's my friend! Right, Riku?" Sora asked.

No answer came.

"Riku…?" Sora turned back and saw that Riku had disappeared.

*****

Riku stood on a rooftop, surveying the scene. A dark figure approached him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You see? It's just as I told you." Maleficent said as she also watched. "Whilst you toiled away trying to find your dear friend. He simply replaced you with some new companions. Evidently, he now values them more than he does you."

Riku squeezed his fists tights.

"Worry not, child," cooed the witch. "You're better off without that wretched boy. Think no more of him and come with me. I'll help you find what you are searching for."

*****

"Darn. I thought I'd finally caught up with him too. Now the creep's gone and slipped off again… Stupid Riku…" Sora stared at the sky sadly.

Donald went to offer his sympathies, but Sora whirled round with a wide grin on his face.

"I suppose it could have been worse though! At least he wasn't injured or nothing!"

Donald fell down.

Sora continued. "And, who knows! At this rate maybe Kairi will turn up too! Er… something wrong with you, Donald?"

"I'm starting to suspect you've taken one too many attacks to the head, Sora." Donald grumbled from the floor.

"Are you guys finished?!" yelled Yuffie as she appeared from up the stairs. "If you are, follow me! We're laying out the battle plans! You don't wanna miss it!"


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: Not mine, yay!

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**Chapter 14- Trouble in ****Traverse****Town**

"Yuffie-chan appears!" The ninja cried out as she slammed the door open to the vacant house.

Nobody reacted. Instead Aeris, Cid and Leon were sitting at a small table looking miserable. Iji was still back at the hotel.

"Er… kinda gloomy in here don't cha think?" Sora whispered.

"Maleficent's in town." said Leon grimly.

"Wha?" replied Yuffie, snapping into serious mode.

She joined them at the table and started to look as miserable as them. Donald, Goofy and Sora all shrugged at each other.

Yuffie noticed. "She's a witch, one of the worst sorts. It's cause of her that our homeworld got shattered."

Cid continued for her. "Ran us off the planet with a full-blown infestation, she did. Bein' the kindly gent that I am, I took pity 'n these three and grabbed them by the diapers on the way offworld. We eventually ended up here in this town."

"Maleficent seems to show a certain interest in Ansem's report." Aeris explained. "As the data recorded within has the most extensive documentation of the Heartless known to exist. We can only assume that she intends to employ the knowledge in it for evil. Though we cannot yet determine her motive, the pages that have fallen to her seem to be numerous." Sora and the others looked shocked.

"In that case," said Sora confidently. "All we gotta do is find the rest of the pages. We can stop her, right?"

Cid jumped up and slapped Sora on the back. Sora scrunched his fingers up and twitched. "Yer Gummi Ship is in abso-blasting-lutely prefect condition! Go get 'em tiger!!"

'For some odd reason, I feel like we're being used…' thought Sora as he continued to twitch from the searing pain.

A clanging sound came from outside and Sora stopped twitching.

"What was that?" he asked.

"Sounded like it came from the Bell Tower." said Aeris as she looked outside.

"You guys should go check it out." suggested Leon.

'Yep, definitely being used…' thought Sora.

*****

"Now we gotta go look at some stupid bell thing!" Sora complained. He swung open the doors to the Second District and walked up the passageway.

"Gwash, its awfully quiet here." commented Goofy.

"Yeah…" agreed Donald.

Sora laughed. "Hey, maybe the Heartless have learnt to leave us alone."

The trio rounded the corner and stopped dead in their tracks.

*****

Iji rubbed her wet hair dry and placed it into a ponytail. Out of the blue, the room started shaking as a loud clanging sound came from outside and echoed throughout the room. Iji dropped her brush. Her eyes clouded over and became a misty grey. Slowly she walked out the door and out into the Second District. Gracefully, she jumped off the high walkway and floated down until she was standing in front of the mural fountain.

"Reveal yourself, Keyhole…" she whispered and raised a hand.

The mural groaned as it spun around to a scene with butterflies on it. The butterflies faded and a Keyhole shone brightly. Behind her, the Reverse Guard Armour approached with an outstretched hand.

"Iji!!" Sora slid under the body of the Heartless and deflected its armoured claws back. "Guys! Keep it busy while I get Iji away from here!"

"Right behind you buddy!" shouted Goofy. He and Donald started to hit it backwards.

"Come on, Iji, it's not safe!" Sora pulled on Iji's hand, but she seemed glued to the ground.

Iji stared straight ahead. "I cannot leave, Keyblade Master. This Keyhole wants to hide from this enemy. Please… defeat the Heartless so that you may seal it."

"But…" Sora started to protest. He knew it was hopeless though. He stole a look into her grey eyes before he dropped her hand and ran into the fray.

*****

"So this world had a Keyhole, too." Leon rubbed his temples. "And Iji revealed it again, but had no idea she did. This is getting a little out of hand it seems."

"Yeah…" Sora laid his head on the table and sighed uneasily. He had gotten Donald and Goofy to escort her back to her room after he locked the Keyhole, but not without her asking a lot of questions first. She had snapped out of it afterwards and Sora and the group had chosen not to tell her what had happened.

"Aw, come on, Sora. She's tough. She can protect herself." Yuffie folded her arms.

"No! She can't!" retorted Sora in a burst of anger, kicking his chair over as he jumped up. "You weren't there! You didn't see what happened! She just stood there in the middle of the battlefield and hardly even flinched when the Heartless nearly fell on top of her! If we hadn't of walked in at that second, Iji could have been hurt seriously bad!"

"Whoa, Sora, chill!" Yuffie had a worried expression on her face.

"I can't let her come with me next time. It's just too dangerous for her." Sora slammed the door shut as he ran out.

*****

"Sora!! Wait for me!" shouted Iji as she ran after the Keyblade Master. She had her Star Cutters in hand.

"Sorry kiddo, yer grounded." Cid grabbed onto the back of Iji's white wing and pulled her up.

Sora saw her and walked back. "I'm sorry Iji, but I don't want you to be in danger. I'm sure we can find the rest of the Keyholes without you."

He grabbed her hand and stared into her eyes, making sure she understood. Iji looked away from his gaze after the initial shock.

"Fine, Sora." she murmured and walked back towards the hotel.

"I don't think that was really the best idea, Sora." commented Leon to Sora quietly. "She can help you locate the other Keyholes."

"It's not that." Sora replied. "I… I just don't want her to get hurt or anything. Like you said, she's special."

Leon turned to leave. "Well, Sora, it's your choice."

Sora chewed his lip. 'It's also because there's something about her… I can't let her get harmed or disappear like Kairi.' He thought and left through the main gates.

*****

Maleficent watched the unfolding incident in amusement. "Child, I have something which may interest you."

Riku approached the vision and watched intently.

"It seems Sora has a fixation for abandoning his friends, that poor, poor girl." The witch said in disgust. "Don't you wish you could do something for her, child? Don't you wish you could soothe her pain?"

Riku nodded and walked into the darkness. Maleficent gave a sly smile.

*****

Iji ran into her room at the hotel, tears ran down her cheeks. "Why can't I go with you Sora? I wish I could help you!"

"Sora seems to drop his friends a lot these days." said a voice from the doorway leading out onto the balcony. A silver-haired teen leaned on the frame.

"You're Riku," Iji could tell by the mysterious aqua eyes. "Sora told me about you. You're a friend of his."

"Not anymore actually." Riku frowned. "He left me too."

"We're the same then." observed Iji.

Riku sat down on the bed next to Iji. "You never told me your name."

"I'm-I'm Iji." whispered the girl.

Riku gazed into her two differently coloured eyes. "You wish to be able to help Sora don't you, Iji?"

Iji nodded.

"What if I told you I know someone who could help you with your wish?"

"Really? Someone… wants to help me?" exclaimed Iji.

"Yep, but she's not on this world unfortunately. She's far away." Riku pointed out the window to the stars.

"I don't mind. I'll do anything to help Sora." Iji jumped up.

Riku smiled. "I'm glad."

He rose as well and snatched up a tissue from the bedside table. He gently wiped Iji's tears away with it.

Iji stared into the silver-haired boy's eyes. Sora had never been nice to her like this Riku was. Her heart skipped a beat and she placed a hand on her chest. What was that feeling she felt…?

"Are you coming, Iji?" asked Riku, he put a leg up on the balcony railing and offered a hand. He smiled and beckoned her.

Iji put her hand in his and was whisked away to another world.

*****

"Iji, I've got some more barley-… Iji?" Aeris dropped the tray when she saw the room was empty. The brunette searched the balcony and the alley below. "Iji! Iji!"

"What's wrong, Aeris?" called Leon from the balcony a few doors down from Iji's room.

"It's Iji! She's missing!" replied Aeris.

Leon leapt over to Iji's room and looked inside. He noticed two places in the neat bed that looked like they had been sat on.

"Someone else was here…" he mumbled and looked out into the sky. He knew Iji was no longer in Traverse Town.


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: Not mine, yay!

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**Chapter 15- Sora's Realisation**

Glowing blue butterflies flittered around the party as the Keyhole gave a click and locked. The waterfalls echoed through the tunnel and into the cave, creating an eerie presence.

"See, we found a Keyhole without Iji's help." said Sora proudly with a smile.

They were strolling back through the jungle to their ship. Tarzan had been a big help to them although. Sora stopped walking as he remembered something the jungle-man had said.

'Friends in our Hearts... No Heart, no friends.' Sora's smile faded. 'Iji…' he thought. 'You said you wanted to help, but all I did was ignore you…'.

"Ahyuk… Sora?" called Goofy from ahead.

"Arg!! I've been such an idiot!" Sora shook his head. "Donald! Goofy! We gotta get back to Traverse Town and get Iji!"

"Huh? What's with you all of a sudden, Sora?" asked Donald.

"I can't believe how stupid I've been! Great friend I am to Iji! Not even letting her travel with us! I haven't even been helping her regain her memories!"

Sora raced towards the Gummi Ship, eager to leave.

"Hey! Wait for us!" yelled Donald and Goofy.

*****

Sora burst in through the hotel doors and proceeded into Iji's room. Leon was sitting on the bed, looking dead serious, even more so than usual.

"Where's Iji?" asked Sora.

"She's gone, Sora." Leon looked up into his eyes. "Someone took her when you were out exploring. We think it was the Heartless, but also that Maleficent was behind it too."

The boy fell to his knees. "Whaa? Why Iji…? Why'd you let them take you?"

Leon picked up his Gunblade and went to leave. He paused at the doorway. "Well Sora, it's your choice." He disappeared, leaving Sora to mull over it.

Sora smacked the ground with a fist and stood up. "I'm coming for you Iji. Just hang on."

*****

Iji slept soundly on the bed in the grand bedroom. Riku watched on from his place in the corner and thought about how alike they both were. He gazed at her closed eyes for second, wondering why they made his Heart feel funny when she looked at him and smiled.

"You've done well, child." Maleficent stepped out from the shadows.

"Why exactly do you want her?" asked Riku. He had a feeling something was up.

"She is a very special creature, this girl is. She possesses powers that neither you nor I can imagine." The witch approached the bed to look down up Iji.

Riku contemplated. "Why did Sora leave her behind then if she has such powers?"

Maleficent stroked her pet raven. "You see, child, this girl-"

"Her name is Iji…" interrupted Riku.

"…Iji, how very appropriate… Named after the memories she no longer has." Maleficent mused.

"She's lost her memories?" asked Riku.

"Undeniably," She nodded. "Her powers are lost within herself, unable to awaken until she has regained her memories."

Riku walked up to the bed to look at Iji in wonder. "How'd she lose her memories though?"

Maleficent turned her back to the silver-haired teen. "That I do not know. Now if you will pardon me child, I have business to attend to."

The door slowly opened and Maleficent motioned for Riku to leave.

"I think it would be best if we had no interruptions."

Riku frowned, but did as he was asked and left. 'Iji had better be okay after your 'business', Maleficent.' he thought.

"Awaken, dear child." Maleficent turned back to Iji and waved a hand over her.

Iji slowly opened her eyes and spotted the witch. "Are you the friend Riku said could help me?"

"Indeed I am, child. I can help in aiding your companion." The witch hid a devious smile behind her hand.

"You can?" asked Iji eagerly.

The witch nodded.

"But of course, child. We'll have to carry it out in secret however."

"That's okay. I just want to help." Iji smiled.

Maleficent stepped closer and bent down to whisper in her ear. "You are a good girl for wanting to help him."

Iji blushed as she saw a vision of Sora's smiling face.

"Now, if you wish to help him, here is the arrangement; I am going to send you to a world called Agrabah. There you will meet a comrade of mine called Jafar. He shall guide you and clarify the rest of the plan to you when you arrive."

Iji nodded enthusiastically. "Okay."

"If you are a good girl and help Sora to find the Keyholes, you may find that your memories will return to you." Maleficent lied, but she knew Iji was too naïve to know any better.

"Find… Keyholes…? How do I do that?" Iji blinked.

"Why, child, deep down inside you there is a unique and great power. By using this power, you can locate a world's Keyhole. That is how you can help Sora. Let us go now. The quicker we get to Agrabah, the quicker you can help him." Maleficent opened a portal and lead Iji inside.

Riku frowned as he watched from a crack in the door. "I shouldn't have let her leave." he growled.


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: Not mine, yay!

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**Chapter 16- The Deserts of Agrabah**

A woman hidden within a brown cloak ran for her life down the streets of Agrabah. She quickly stole a look behind and saw a small army of Heartless closing in upon her. A man laughed manically.

"After her! Bring her to me at once!" he commanded. He stroked his goatee slyly. "Mind she isn't damaged though. I should dread to see our precious Princess suffer any injury…" The tall man strolled up the stairs of the Grand Palace. "At last I cleanse myself of the humiliation I suffered as the Grand Vizier." He surveyed the city he wished to make his own. "The Sultan of Agrabah shall from this day forth be none other than I, Jafar!"

A click of a staff warned Jafar that someone was behind him. "I do hope you've taken care of the civilians, Jafar."

Jafar stroked his goatee once more. "But of course, my dear Maleficent."

"Very well," The dark witch stated. "What of the Princess?"

A red parrot lighted onto the former Vizier's shoulder and whispered into his ear. "Bad news, Boss! The girl's pulled a vanishing act."

"Hmph…" grumbled Jafar. "That girl is more trouble than she's worth." He looked at Maleficent. "The city is old, my friend. To the vermin who seek, the means of concealment are in this city quite numerous at hand."

Maleficent walked ahead of Jafar. "The Seven Princesses are the key to the 'Final Door'. See to it that you find her. What of the Keyhole?"

"The Heartless are searching for it as we speak." Jafar coughed.

Maleficent slightly turned her head to him and smiled with her lips thin. "I do know that you are having difficulty in locating it, Jafar. That is why I have issued some help of my own for you."

"What?" asked Jafar and looked around.

"Child, please step forth." Maleficent waved her staff and a portal opened.

Iji stepped out and looked around her. Jafar's eyes widened, but said nothing.

"Jafar, please see to it that she fulfils her designated role to the best of her ability. It is of the utmost necessity that her wish is completed." Maleficent's voice sounded strangely kinder than usual.

"Why yes, thy will be done. Come with me, child." Jafar motioned and Iji followed.

'The path of shadow is laden with perils unseen. Mind that vigilance is kept, lest ye be consumed by the darkness.' Maleficent talked into Jafar's mind.

Jafar grunted. 'That woman takes me for a fool…' he thought.

*****

"Keep down, Aboo!"

A hand pulled down a small monkey that was peeking out from behind a crate. Jasmine pulled the hot cloak off of her shining black hair and wiped her brow in relief.

"Somehow we've managed not to draw their attention… To think Agrabah would fall into the control of that man… Oh!" She turned to Aboo. "By the way, is Aladdin safe?"

The monkey started to reply, but fell short. He screeched and pointed at something. Jasmine turned around to see a large round Heartless staring down at her. She gasped.

*****

"Jasmine's got the softest black hair, and eyes so beautiful you could drown in them. I'm totally in love with her. But she's a Princess, and I'm a… Aw, she'd never fall for a guy like me."

"Hey! Don't be putting yourself down like that! Guys… say something!" Sora yelled at Donald and Goofy.

"Ah, er, have a bit of confidence! You ain't all that bad-looking if you ask me!" shouted Donald.

"Ahyuk…" said Goofy.

"Yeah, exactly!" encouraged Sora.

A young man named Aladdin with short cut black hair and patched up clothes blushed and scratched the back of his head. "Aw, stop it already. I'm getting embarrassed…"

Sora coughed to get his attention. "Erm, if you're done getting your ego beefed up… Get us the hell out of here!"

The trio were stuck in a pit of quicksand and sinking ever quicker. Goofy had all but disappeared except for a black nose that poked out of the sand.

"Ack, sorry. Almost forgot about that. I'll save ya in a jiffy." Aladdin pulled out a beat up looking old lamp and rubbed it. "I, the holder of the lamp, summon you, Genie!"

Smoke poured out from the spout and filled the air; a large dark shadow loomed above them. Sora and his friends stared in fear and wonder.

"I command you to fulfil my first wish! Rescue these three from the quicksand!" shouted Aladdin.

"Hello, hello, hello!" said a slightly-crazed voice.

The dark shadow popped into the sunlight and revealed himself to be a strange, blue human-like being with only a whispery trail of smoke for legs. He held honked a horn and threw confetti. The look of alarm from Sora, Donald and Goofy turned into a look of disdain as the strange being rambled off a peppy speech.

"The One, the Only, Geeeeenie of the Lamp, at your service, monsieurs! Rub-a-dub-dub the lamp and have your dearest wishes granted at the cut-my-own-throat price of nothing at all! The Mysterious, Marvellous, Magical Genie has all the answers!!" He pointed a finger at the bogged trio and instantly popped them out.

'A lot of the weirdos we meet seem to offer that they have the answer to everything…' thought Sora cynically, thinking back to the Cheshire Cat.

Aladdin placed his hands on his hips and studied them. "This place is quite far off from the caravan routes. You have no idea how lucky you guys are that I came upon you. The quicksand would've mummified you." He paused. "So what are you guys doing all the way out here?"

Goofy coughed out some sand. "Ahyuk, well you see the airlock to our Gummi ship dumped-"

Donald shoved a fistful of sand into Goofy's mouth, making him cough again.

"So what brings you here, Aladdin?!" Sora jumped in front of them to get his attention.

"Oh, me? Somewhere in this desert, there's a place called The Cave of Wonders. According to the legend, there sleeps within a certain treasure of unimaginable value." The black-haired young man grinned. "I just spent the last few hours securing for myself first dibs on the darn thing! I present to you the Great Lamp!"

The blue man popped up behind them and struck a pose, blowing red, lip-shaped bubbles at them. "And the sexiest djinn of the Lamp is none other than moi! My customers call me Genie." He winked, producing large, overdone black eyelashes.

'This guy reminds me a lot of Yuffie…' thought Sora, Donald and Goofy all at the same time.

"Gettin' on down to business, what's it to be, Lucky Boy?" Genie swooped down next to Aladdin and stuck a large horseshoe around his neck. "What'll you get yourself with your shiny new Wish Number Two?"

"You can really make any wish come true?" asked Aladdin as he removed the horseshoe.

Genie waved a hand. "Well there are a few exceptions… But other than that…"

"I wonder if can help us find the King, Donald." whispered Goofy.

"Shaddup!" replied Donald and nudged him.

"Got yer wish then, Al?" Genie prodded.

"Hmm, lessee…" Aladdin smiled in thought. "I know. How about making me into a fabulously wealthy Prince?"

"Superb decision, monsieur! Simple and effective! Just say the word and I'll deliver it in thirty minutes or less, 'else the meal is free! I'll even throw in a cappuccino!" Genie threw an arm up into the air to begin.

"Wait!" Aladdin shouted.

Genie fell down flat.

Aladdin scratched his neck. "I think I'll put that wish on hold until we reach Agrabah. I wanna make myself a Prince cause… I was planning on asking this girl to marry me when I'd saved up enough."

"You da man, Aladdin!" shouted Sora and Donald.

The young man blushed. "Aw, it's nothing."

Genie recovered himself and lay on his back and floated overhead. "As you will, Master," He breathed in the desert air. "I shall be sure to enjoy what remains of my time in this world. Ah, fresh air, the great outdoors…"

Sora looked up at the genie. "You don't get out much do you?" he asked.

Genie sighed. "Karma, kid, comes with the job." He dived down to Sora "Phenomenal, Cosmic Powers! … Itty, bitty livin' space."

"Oh…" said Sora.

Genie stared at the sky hopelessly. "Three wishes, and back into the closet I go. I'm lucky to see the light of day every century or two and even then it's the usual 'Yes, Master. Your wish is my command…'."

"Hey, Genie," interrupted Aladdin. "What if I use my last wish to free you from the Lamp? Would that get rid of whatever's holding you in there?"

Genie stared at Aladdin in shock. "You'd do that for me?" Aladdin nodded. "Gee, thanks Al! I appreciate it even if you aren't serious."

"But I am!" grinned Aladdin.

"Aww, come 'ere! Group hug!!" Genie grabbed everyone and pulled them in. Sora went as blue as Genie as he was squeezed.

A streak of purple and gold shot out of the sky and barrelled into the group. Sora went flying. Aladdin fell over and coughed for air. A small monkey wearing a matching fez and vest jumped off a magic carpet and onto the black-haired youth's stomach and leapt around wildly.

"Whoa, slow down, Aboo! What is it?" Aladdin picked the monkey up. The monkey chattered and waved his arms around. Aladdin's eyes went wide. "What?! Jasmine's been kidnapped!?"


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: Not mine, yay!

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**Chapter 17- And So the Demon Smiled**

The desert winds blew a shower of scorching sand onto Iji. She dusted the mess off of her with mild disgust.

"Jafar, where are we going?" she asked. "It's hot and I wanna get out of the sun."

Jafar held two pieces of a gold scarab in his hands. He placed them together and they flew into the sand. The sky grew dark and a massive tiger's head reared itself out of the desert.

"This, Iji, is the Cave of Wonders," explained Jafar. "I have come to the conclusion that the Keyhole to this world is in here."

"And because I can find Keyholes, you want me to go in and look?" Iji stared up at the strangely-shaped cave.

"Yes," nodded Jafar. "You get along now and go look for the Keyhole. I will come in a moment."

"'Kay!" said Iji cheerfully and clambered inside.

Jafar smirked and turned behind him. He waved his staff and took an invisibility spell off of Jasmine, who was bound and gagged. A Heartless guarded her.

"I do hope you'll forgive me for the brief discomfort Princess." he apologised falsely.

Jasmine made some muffled shouts of insult at the vizier. Jafar ignored them.

Iago the parrot scratched his head. "Hey, Boss? You wager that the rat'll be dumb enough to show up and act the hero?"

"Doubt not, my feathered minion. He shall of his own accord deliver the Great Lamp to us. It was to this end that I allowed the monkey to escape." Jafar laughed deeply.

'It's a trap, Aladdin!!! Please don't come!!' Jasmine screamed in her mind.

"Come that the Great Lamp and the strength of darkness do to my possession fall... This world and all within it shall be as my playthings!" The vizier laughed harder and more manically.

"Jafaaaaaarrr!!!" yelled a voice, coming closer with every second.

"Ah, so the hero has come at last…" mused Jafar.

"We won't let you get away with this, Jafar! Give Jasmine back!" Sora leapt off the magic carpet and lifted his Keyblade.

Donald and Goofy also got their weapons ready.

Aladdin hopped off the carpet and frowned. "Aw, c'mon guys! That's my line!"

"Oops, sorry man." said Sora embarrassingly.

Aladdin secretly pulled out the Lamp and rubbed it. "Genie, save Jasmine!" he whispered to it.

"Wish Number Two coming right up!" Genie flew in and swept Jasmine up in his arms.

Jasmine tore her gag off. "Aladdin! Stay away! It's a trap!!" she shouted.

Iago landed on Jafar's shoulder. He grinned. "Much too late, Aladdin!" He brandished the Magic Lamp.

"What?! No!" Aladdin searched for the Lamp, but found that it was missing.

Jafar grabbed the Lamp off of the parrot and held it up proudly. "Your wish has been denied street rat! Come to me, djinn!"

Genie sadly dropped the Princess and sadly said. "Sorry, Al…"

Jafar laughed. "It's all over!" He raised his staff and a group of Heartless appeared. A Barrel Heartless swallowed Jasmine. "Now my Heartless, terminate the infidels!"

"It's not over Jafar! Not by a long shot!" shouted Aladdin as the man and the captive Princess disappeared into the Cave of Wonders.

*****

"What do you want with me, Jafar?!" demanded Jasmine as she was towed down the cavern steps.

"Why, my dear Princess. Is it not obvious? I want your Heart so that we may open the final door to darkness." Jafar looked at her with disdain.

Jasmine narrowed her eyes. "Aladdin will rescue me. You won't get my Heart. And you won't get that 'Keyhole' thing either!"

Jafar stopped and curved his head around to her. "Oh, I think I will be finding that Keyhole. I have someone who is very willing to help find it."

"That girl…" said Jasmine. "You're just using her aren't you?"

"Ah, indeed." grinned Jafar. "Now, if you beg my pardon, I would like some quiet time." He stuffed the gag back in her mouth. He rubbed the Lamp and Genie grumpily crawled out.

"Yes, 'Master'…?" Genie drawled.

Jafar sniffed with a look of contempt on his face. "I can make or break you great 'Djinn of the Lamp', so I wouldn't be taking that tone with me."

"Yes, Master." Genie said in a more polite voice, though his eyes were still burning with hatred.

"Ahem, now… Let's see how our fair Iji is going." Jafar clapped his hands and they disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

*****

Sora collapsed on the ground exhausted. The battle had been hard. Donald tossed him a potion and Sora drank it down immediately.

"See, they are vital." commented the magician.

"Yeah…" grunted Sora as he got up.

Aboo was talking to Aladdin in his strange language.

"You don't say…?" asked the young man. Aboo nodded. "Hey guys, Aboo just told me something interesting."

"Huh?" enquired the others.

"Apparently Jafar was talking to some big dark evil woman just before Jasmine got kidnapped." Aladdin said.

"Ahyuk, that's Maleficent prolly'." Goofy interjected.

"She's a witch." added Donald.

"Oh, okay. Well, anyways, after Jafar talked to her, this Maleficent woman introduced some girl to him and he went off with her." Aladdin shrugged. "Is that right, Aboo?"

"Ahuh!" nodded the monkey.

"Girl?" exclaimed Sora. "What did she look like Aboo?!" Sora grabbed the monkey and shook him.

Aboo screeched something incoherent.

Aladdin translated. "She had silver-blonde hair in a ponytail and a pair of wings. Hmm, strange looking girl..."

Sora yelled excitedly. "That's Iji!! It's just gotta be!!" Sora halted, and his eyes grew wide. "Oh no… Jafar's using her to find the Keyhole! We gotta go!" Sora ran off into the Cave of Wonders.

"Wait for us!" called the others.

*****

Iji picked her way through a sea of treasure looking for any signs of a Keyhole. She sighed. "How am I supposed to find it? I'm having absolutely no luck here."

A plume of smoke piled up from the floor and Jafar appeared along with Genie. Jasmine was also there, but was hidden by the Barrel Heartless which hid itself behind a pile of treasure.

"Have you found it yet, Iji?" inquired Jafar. A tad of impatience was in his voice.

Iji shook her head. "It's a lot harder than I thought. I have no idea how to use this power in me that Maleficent said I had."

Genie stared at the girl and opened his mouth to say something.

"Back into the Lamp, djinn." ordered Jafar and used the Lamp to suck him up.

"Who was that?" asked Iji.

"It's just a friend of mine, my dear, nothing to worry your pretty little head about." Jafar said. His smile had disappeared. "Let's move on, and this time you better work quickly." He pointed to a doorway that connected to a large spherical-like cavern.

"Alright." nodded the girl nervously and took off for it. Jafar trailed behind, smirking.

*****

Aladdin pulled up. "Where do we go…?" He looked around cautiously.

Sora gazed ahead of him. "That way," He pointed. "I dunno why, but something's calling me, whispering for me to hurry."

They started to run again, defeating the scores of Heartless that they ran into and kept going until they entered the next room.

"Wowzas!" gasped Goofy as they saw the piles of treasures.

The golden artefacts looked like they had been searched through; pieces lay scattered, thrown off the piles.

'Iji was here, I just know it.' thought Sora.

*****

"Iji, what is taking you so long?" asked Jafar. The irritation in his voice was rising.

The winged girl inspected the walls, looking desperate. "I-I don't know! I can feel something calling me, but I just can't find where it's coming from!"

Jafar growled. "You useless girl! Find it this instance!"

Iji turned from the wall to stare at him. "No… You want it for yourself don't you?"

"What…?! How dare you defy me!" bellowed the vizier.

"If you want it for yourself… then I won't do it!" Iji yelled as she tried to stay calm. "I'm finding it for Sora, not you! You've been deceiving Maleficent too haven't you? She wants me to help Sora, but you don't! I won't find it!"

Jafar's face went red with anger. "For your disobedience, girl, you'll pay the price!" Jafar chanted in some strange language and whipped his staff out in front of himself.

Iji cried out as a piercing beam of bright light smacked her off her feet and made her head land against the wall she had been searching. She collapsed down onto the sandy floor. A small trickle of red blood dripped down her hair.

Jafar recomposed himself and rubbed the Lamp. "Djinn! My first wish! Reveal to me the Keyhole!"

Genie glimpsed at the unconscious girl, then glared at his unwanted master. He clicked his fingers together and a wall fell apart, revealing a hidden doorway with a Keyhole in the middle.

"Your reputed omnipresence proves itself true, djinn." said Jafar in wonder as the dust settled. He smiled at Genie. "Surely the conquest of the world is to one of your kind of power but a frivolity. Would you care to become my ally in this matter?"

Genie brooded and grumbled. "Quit yer joking, O Master of the Lamp…"

"Violating the statutes of the concern are grounds for removal, Jafar." remarked a voice from in front of the Keyhole.

Jafar turned, a look of surprise on his face. "Maleficent! Yo-You misunderstand, it was but a jest."

"I would not regret your dismissal, in truth." Maleficent scratched her minion crow's beak. "You are, after all, merely an expendable asset. Remember that."

The vizier's mouth opened and closed several times. "It was but jest!"

The witch ignored him and regarded Iji who was out cold on the floor. "I see your temper got to you, Jafar…"

Jafar crossed his arms. "The child was becoming wise to our strategy. It was no fault of mine that I chose to take action against it before she figured out anymore of it."

"She is still loyal to me I take it?" The witch eyed him inquiringly.

"Yes, I imagine so." nodded Jafar, still nervous.

Maleficent also nodded. "Very well then... I shall send for her and the Princess in a few minutes. Now, as for that boy... Has he been troubling you again?"

The vizier grunted angrily. "He's more persistent than I expected. Why not explain the situation to that boy Riku? Doing so may actually prove useful to our-" The sounds of running feet and shouting made him turn around.

Sora stopped in the middle of the cavern and stared up at Maleficent. "Wait a second. Are you-, are you Maleficent?" he asked.

The witch said nothing as she faded into the air.

"Iji…!" shouted Sora desperately as he spotted the winged girl and her wound.

Aladdin gasped as he saw his love. "Give her back, Jafar!" he yelled.

Jafar smirked back. "Not a chance. You see, they are both important. Jasmine is a princess, one of seven. And Iji can find Keyholes. They both somehow hold the key to opening the door."

Goofy blinked. "Open…"

Donald blinked as well. "…the door?"

Jafar looked down his nose at them all. "But you fools won't live to what lies beyond it. Djinn! My second wish… Crush them!!"

Genie wagged a finger. "Whoa there, Master. Technically, I can't kill anyone. It goes against my union's rules."

The vizier banged his staff up and down like he was having a temper tantrum. "Well, just hurt them bad then!!"

Aladdin gasped and stared up at his friend. "Genie, no!"

The genie's shoulders dropped. "Sorry Al. The one with the Lamp calls the shots. I don't have a choice." Genie started to spin around, shooting lightning bolts out of his fingers. He aimed away from Sora's group. 'Please run away! Avoid the attacks!' thought Genie as he shot out a bolt.

It hit Goofy square in the chest, leaving him a smouldering mess.

"Oops…" said Genie and pointed again.

Goofy suddenly appeared in a hospital bed, all set up with bandages and food. "Ahyuck!" Goofy chuckled, slightly concussed.

Jafar glared at Genie. A muscle under his eye twitched. "You seem to have missed, djinn. You disappoint me! Utterly pathetic! Power absolute in the void of utilization is meaningless! I shall show you myself the true use of your abilities!"


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: Not mine, yay!

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**Chapter 18- One Last Wish**

"Djinn! My final request! I wish myself your equal, a djinn omnipotent in might!!" ordered Jafar with strained breathing.

Sora and the others span around and watched as Genie covered his eyes and reluctantly pointed at the vizier. A spark of swirling magic hit Jafar and the earth under the madman shattered to reveal an underground cavern filled with lava. Jafar descended into it.

Sora gazed over the edge and gulped. He turned to the unconscious form of Iji and bent down. "Stay safe, I'll be back for you." He whispered. With a running start, the Keyblade Master leapt off the platform into the next cavern, followed by his friends.

*****

"Uh, where'd he go?" asked Goofy as they landed.

A deep-throated laugh rippled through the air and from out of the lava Jafar burst out in his new genie form. Glowing yellow eyes glared down at the group from out a red-skinned demon-like face. Jafar held up a smouldering rock covered with magma. "This is it! This is the power I've so long sought! Fear me Maleficent! With such force at hand, the whole of reality is mine to rule!"

"Duck!" yelled Sora as they crashed to the floor and the lava rock sailed over them. Sora glimpsed up and caught sight of Jafar's lamp in the claws of Iago.

Jafar paused after he threw the boulder. He smirked. "Before moving onto anything elaborate, I think a little housecleaning is in order." He raised his arms up in the air and black globe of energy formed. "Vanish, maggots!" Jafar bellowed.

"No…" said Sora calmly. "No, Jafar, you're the one to vanish." Sora clutched Jafar's dark lamp. Iago lay knocked out beside Sora's feet. "Back into the lamp, Jafar!"

"What?! How?!" demanded Jafar. He had stopped stock still.

"Somebody told me a little while ago that genies are bound to serve the master of their lamp. Let's get on with it. My commands are absolute, got it!"

"This can't be!" exclaimed Jafar in disbelief. A pair of golden gauntlets appeared on his wrists.

Sora held the lamp up high. Jafar struggled to get away from it, but was gradually sucked into the tiny space. Muffled cries came from inside. A piece of paper fluttered down from the roof into Sora's spare hand. Sora blinked and read the top line: 'Ansem Report 1'.

"Way to go, Sora!" Aladdin cheered.

"Yeah," Sora grinned as he folded the paper and placed it in his pocket. "Now let's get back to Jasmine and Iji."

*****

"Aladdin?" groaned Jasmine as she crawled over to the platform's edge. A sound behind her made her swing around just in time to see a pair of gloved hands pull her and Iji into a portal. Her last sounds were a strangled gasp.

*****

Aladdin jumped off Carpet onto the platform. "Jasmine?" he asked, looking around. She was gone.

Sora searched the platform, but to no avail for Iji either. "They're both gone!"

"Jasmine!" Aladdin called in a panicked tone.

"We gotta seal the Keyhole first!" interrupted Donald.

Sora quickly ran up the steps to the Keyhole and held out his Keyblade. The Keyhole glowed and locked as a beam of light shot out of the Keyblade. Small stones fell from the ceiling as the cave started to shake violently. Sora, Donald and Goofy heaved a struggling Aladdin up onto the magic carpet.

"Noooo! Jasmine! Jasmine!" yelled the young man as they fled from the place.

*****

Aladdin stared at the peaceful view of the Agrabah Palace from his apartment. "So Jasmine's no longer in Agrabah…" He got up and scrunched his hand into a fist. "Sora, let's go find her."

Sora sighed. "Sorry, I can't take you with me."

"Why-why not?" Aladdin looked shocked.

Goofy scuffed his shoes on the floor. "I sure wish we could…"

Donald shook his head. "But we can't. If we take you to another world, we could be-"

Goofy tried to finish Donald's sentence. "Muh… Mudd-"

"Meddling." corrected Donald.

Aladdin stayed silent for a few minutes, letting it all sink in. A blue hand waved in front of his face, bringing out of his state.

"Uh, earth to Al! Hello? You still have one wish left! Look, just say the word. Ask me to find Jasmine for you!" Genie gave his master a salute.

Aladdin held the Lamp in his hands. He lifted it up slowly. "I wish-I wish for your freedom Genie."

A sparkling whirlwind surrounded the bottom half of Genie. A pair of legs spilt out from the vapour trail Genie had once used. The golden shackles around his wrists popped out and disappeared. Genie stared at Aladdin in wonder.

The Lamp in Aladdin's hands went dull and dropped to the floor with a clank. "A deal's a deal, Genie. Now you can go anywhere you want. You're your own master. But… if you can, it'd be great if you could go along with them and help Sora find Jasmine."

Genie turned his back to the youth. "Sorry, Al, I'm done taking orders from others…" Genie swung back around, a large grin on his face. "But a favour! That's entirely different! I guess I could give that a try. After all, we're pals, right, Al?" He ruffled Aladdin's hair.

"We'll find her Aladdin. I know we will." nodded Sora.

"Yep! Just leave it to me!" Genie gave his friends thumbs up.

*****

Hades growled and paced around in circles. "Haa… That smarmy vizier could've had 'em… if someone had stuck around to give him a hand…" He took the chance to glare at a silver-haired boy, Riku…

Riku looked away. "Hey, I did my part. I brought the Princess, didn't I?" He glimpsed over at Maleficent. "Why'd you let Iji go with that madman? He hurt her, and you did nothing to help."

The witch ignored him. "Jafar was beyond help, consumed by his own hatred." She paused. "One should beware of letting it… burn… too fiercely."

Hades' blinked as he realised who she was talking about. "Whoa, whoa! Lighten up! I'm as cool as they come, okay?" He smoothed out his fiery blue hair and turned his head to Riku. "By the way, kid, have we got something special for you."

The words caught the boy's attention, casting off his thoughts about Iji. "Huh?"

Maleficent smiled in her all-knowing way that irritated Riku. "We had a deal, yes? You help us, and we grant you your wish." An image appeared on the round stone table in front of them. A small hologram of a familiar person spun around.

Riku reached out for it. "Kairi!"

Maleficent continued. "Go to her. Your vessel is waiting."

A man wearing a red overcoat strolled in. He combed his thin moustache with an arm that ended in a hook. "Just remember," He jiggled the hook at Riku. "This is no pleasure cruise. It won't be a pleasant voyage."

Riku's eyes narrowed and he turned to Maleficent. "Why are you doing all this for me? What's the catch?"

Maleficent looked surprised. "Catch? What's the catch? Silly boy," The woman caressed Riku's cheek. "You're like a son to me. I only want you to be happy."

Riku twitched at the touch of her icy hand and slapped it away. "I seriously doubt that…"

Maleficent recomposed herself. "Believe what you wish. But lest we forget, I kept my end of the bargain."

Riku walked off after Captain Hook. He frowned, deep in thought. 'I can't leave Iji here, but I can't bring her with me. She's not in any condition to travel with that head wound of hers. I tried to patch it up the best I could, but I'm no doctor. Stay safe, Iji… Please, stay safe. I don't want the Heartless to get you, too...'


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: Not mine, yay!

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**Chapter 19- Unattainable Light **

It was cold in the darkness. Iji shivered as she tiredly made her way towards a pinpoint of light in the distance. The light never seemed to come any closer, no matter how hard she tired to catch it. Finally she collapsed onto her knees.

"Everything's so far away… Why can't I reach you!?" she yelled at the light.

Tears ran down her cheeks.

"Do you want to reach it?" asked a voice.

Iji strained to hear the voice, no, it was more than that. There were two voices speaking. "Yes…" she answered.

"But by reaching the light, you will leave behind everything you hold dear."

"But I can't even remember who I am!" Iji stared at the light, hoping and wishing it would come a little closer.

"The light holds no answers to your past, only the future. The answers you seek lie deep within the darkness."

Iji did nothing. She was too tired, even to cry.

*****

"Jeez, look at the head wound on this kid." Hades inspected the hastily wrapped bandage around Iji's head. "Whoever did the work on her didn't have a clue about first aid."

The god unwrapped the bandage and pressed a long bony finger to the wound. It healed instantly.

"Hey, wake up, kid. We got work to do." He nudged Iji.

Iji groaned and came around. "Where's Jafar…? What happened?"

Hades gave a short bark of laughter. "That weirdo got what he deserved. He's long gone now."

"Did Sora find the Keyhole?"

Hades turned around, hiding his anger at the mention of the boy. "Er, yeah, kid. Sora found it alright, and sealed it up good and tight…"

Iji smiled and blinked. "You said we had work to do?"

Hades swung back around. "Yeah, I'm entering you in a competition."

"Competition? What kind? Will I be able to help Sora in it? When does it start? What do I do?" asked Iji all at once.

Hades held up a hand. "Whoa, hold up there, girly. Firstly, it's a fighting competition."

"What has me helping Sora got to do with it?"

"It's more of a special treat for you, Iji. I'm sure you wanna show Sora how strong you are, right?"

Iji nodded.

"Yeah, well this fighting competition is going to help you prove yourself. And think of it as a training exercise too. The more people you beat, the stronger you'll become. So, you get ready, kid, and I'll be back in a while, k?"

Iji nodded again.

Hades smiled and left. 'Like taking candy from the dead…' he thought slyly. 'And if I play her just right, I can get her to take out wonder-boy Hercules too, just in case my first plan fails…'

*****

Piercing blue eyes glanced at Sora as a blonde-haired man passed by. A large bandaged sword hung over his shoulder and a torn blood-red cape fluttered in the breeze.

Phil scratched the back of his neck after the warrior passed. "Something tells me he'll be a tough one to beat. Maybe you'll end up facing him."

Sora stared back at the man. There was a bad feeling attached to him. Like there was more than what met the eye.

*****

Cloud walked over to an alcove covered by shadow, out of sight from the main stadium. His newest hirer was waiting there. Hades jerked a thumb over at Sora when Cloud arrived.

"That little punk is your next opponent, okay? Now, don't blow it. Just… take him out."

Cloud regarded Sora carefully. "The great god of the Underworld is afraid of a kid? Sorry, but my contract says-"

"I know! You think I don't know? I wrote the contract!" Hades interrupted. "I know it says you're only required to kill Hercules in this tournament. But you've gotta fight that kid to get to him. Come on!"

Hades looked over to Sora again, who was talking to an irritated Phil.

"Hey, it's like that old goat says: Rule 11: It's all just a game, so let loose and have fun with it! I mean, a casualty or two along the way is no big deal, right?" Hades felt a headache coming on.

Cloud gave Hades one last suspicious look and left.

"Jeez…" grumbled the god. "Stiffer than the stiffs back home. Still… Suckers like him are hard to come by."

Cloud strode onto the stadium and took up a fighter's stance.

Hades smirked as he felt three sets of heavy breathe on the back of his robe. A deep-throated growl resonated around the alcove. "But it's a good thing I arranged a little insurance just in case."

*****

"I need to get stronger than Sora," said Iji out loud to herself.

She stared out from one of Hollow Bastion's balconies down to the Rising Falls.

"That looks like a good spot to train." Iji heaved herself over the balcony railing and gently floated down to the bottom. She giggled as she softly landed.

The waterfalls slowly drifted towards the sky, making Iji feel both calm and confused. She stared up at the grand castle, wondering where Riku had disappeared too. She shook her head to get her mind back on track.

"Sora's got heaps of cool moves. I'm gonna have to make up some too so I can show him that I'm not weak!" Iji paused as she realised something. She had left her Star Cutters back at Traverse Town… Iji's confidence fell and turned into panic. "How am I going to fight without a weapon?"

Iji plopped herself onto the ground, tapping her forehead in an effort to think. Images from previous fights filtered through her head. A series of images with Sora summoning his Keyblade kept flashing over and over again.

'Maybe… I can do that too?' thought Iji. 'My Star Cutters may not be magical like the Keyblade, but Maleficent said I have a great power inside me.' Iji smiled confidently. "I can do this."

The girl held up her hands to the heavens and silently hoped that it would work. As Iji gazed upwards she felt her eyes blur over and her body become tiresome. Her mind went numb.

*****

Aeris placed her elbows on the table and sighed. Iji's weapons lay before her looking lonely. The brunette sighed and closed her eyes. When she opened them, the Star Cutters had disappeared. Aeris rose in surprise, then went to tell Leon.

*****

Iji's eyelids fluttered open. She was flat on her on back. She didn't remember how she got there…

"It seems you need more practise, child." Maleficent looked over Iji from above.

Iji sat up and rubbed the back of her head. "I guess…"

"Although, you did end up with what you wanted." Maleficent remarked, motioning towards the two silver weapons in Iji's hands.

Iji gasped and jumped up. "I did it! I did it!" She grinned.

Maleficent nodded in approval. "Keep practising, child. You will find your inner strength."

The witch faded into the air.

Iji stopped jumping around and got serious. "It's time to train."

*****

Phil placed three gold medallions around the necks of Sora, Donald and Goofy. Hercules stood next to him, smiling proudly.

"Thus, I do hereby dub thee junior heroes, and confer upon thee full rights and privileges to participate in the games." Phil read from a sheet of paper.

"Junior…?" questioned Donald with a hint of temper rising in his voice.

The satyr groaned. "You rookies still don't understand what it takes to be a true hero."

Goofy scratched his head. "So, what does it take?"

Hercules chuckled. "Well, that's something you'll just have to find out for yourselves, just the way that I did."

Sora grinned and nodded. "No problem, we'll just start by proving ourselves in the games!"

Phil held up a hand. "There ain't gonna be any games for a while. Not 'til the mess is cleaned up from your last battle."

Sora sighed. "Ok, we'll be back later."

He and the others waved as they left.

Phil stroked his goatee. "I still can't believe that squirt actually took down Cerberus."

Hercules bent down to his trainer and winked. "Just between us, I'd actually already worn him down by the time the little guy jumped in."

Phil grinned. "My lips are sealed."

*****

Cloud's piercing blues eyes of looked up from where they had been staring at the ground. Sora approached him.

"Hey, you alright?" he asked.

"Yeah," said Cloud calmly.

Sora walked up to the stairs and sat down next to him. "So, why'd you go along with Hades anyway?"

Cloud gazed up into the sky. "I'm looking for someone. Hades promised to help. I tried to exploit the powers of darkness, but it backfired. I fell into darkness, and I couldn't find the light."

"You'll find it. I'm searching too."

Cloud turned his attention away from the heavens to Sora. "For your light?"

"I guess you could say that." Sora nodded as he thought about his friends.

The blonde haired swordsman rose to his feet and began to walk away. "Don't lose sight of it." In his mind a young woman with a caring face and brown hair smiled and faded.

Sora jumped up and called after him. "How about a rematch sometime? Fair and square, no dark powers involved?"

Cloud smirked. "I'll think about it."

Sora stared after him and smiled.

*****

Hades emerged from behind a pillar after secretly watching Cloud and Sora's conversation. He conjured a small action figure of Hercules up in his hand and began to throttle it.

"He's strong, he's kind. He's always there for you, and he's handsome to boot. He's perfect." He quoted the action figure's advertisement. "Perfect… Perfectly infuriating! He makes me crazy!!"

The flames on Hades' head turned red and the action figure in his hand melted into a pile of slime. The god's eyes screamed death and destruction. Hades took a breath and calmed down. He smoothed his fiery hair, which went back to blue.

"Wait a minute. What are you worried about? All the pieces are in place. I have a backup plan. Relax. Here's what I'll do. I'll get Hercules to train Iji, and then she'll take both him and the punk out in the next games." Hades' eyes slid to peek behind him. "Who invited you to the party?"

Maleficent smiled shrewdly. "Iji is making great progress by herself. Bringing any outside factors to her may change her judgement."

"Stay out of this. This is my show." hissed Hades.

"As you wish… Fight to your heart's content. However, Hades, I do suggest that you start to plan more carefully." The witch disappeared.

Hades' hair went red once more.


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaimer: Not mine, yay!

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**Chapter 20- The Stomach of the Beast**

Riku put his fists on his hips and looked around at his new surroundings. Hook had been very pleased when he found that he wanted to go search inside Monstro. The whale had entranced him. How did such a creature survive the destruction of his world and manage to stay alive in this empty part of space? Riku hoped that the whale held an answer to how he could get Kairi's Heart back.

"Hi!"

Riku looked down. A small boy was by his side. Riku blinked several times when he saw that the boy was made out of wood.

"Who are you?"

"My name's Pinocchio!" The 'boy' jumped up and down excitedly.

"Are you a puppet?" Riku reached down and tapped Pinocchio on the head. It gave off a hollow wood-like sound.

"I'm no puppet! I'm a real boy!" Pinocchio protested and rubbed his head. "Well… not yet really. But I know The Blue Fairy will make my wish come true if I'm a good boy!"

"The Blue Fairy?" asked Riku uncertainly.

"Yeah! She's really pretty and she makes your wish come true! She was the one who granted my Father's wish so that I could l be his son!" explained the puppet in a child's way. "Um, will you play with me?"

Riku thought deeply, half-listening to Pinocchio. "Yeah, whatever, just not now."

"Oh… okay." said Pinocchio disappointedly and left.

Riku wandered over to a platform of wood and sat down to think. 'That puppet must have had a Heart in order for it to move and talk. The Blue Fairy must have given him one. Maybe she can help me with Kairi's Heart?' Riku looked up and realised that Pinocchio had left. 'Drat. I need him to help me find this Blue Fairy.'

*****

"We found Riku, well, kinda… But now we've lost Iji, and Kairi's still nowhere in sight." groaned Sora. He stared out into space as the ship glided past the desert world of Agrabah.

"What is that?!" squawked Donald suddenly.

"Huh?" Sora turned his attention forward. "Wow! It's huge!"

A large blue creature flew past, rattling the ship. A horrible ear-piercing noise echoed inside the cockpit.

"It's a whale!" exclaimed Goofy.

"It's Monstro!" explained Jiminy Cricket. He hopped up closer to the glass. "We have to be careful! He's extremely vicious! We should get out of here."

"Too late!" shouted Sora and pointed.

The whale swept in and opened his mouth.

*****

Two children strolled up from a picturesque beach past a sparkling waterfall. They stopped before a crack in the cliff which was covered in plants. A tunnel lay hidden behind it.

"It's true, Riku! There was this weird girl in there!" A young Sora pointed to the opening of the Secret Place.

"Are you sure you didn't just dream it up, Sora?" asked Riku sceptically. "And since when are you so brave? You're normally such a coward unless I'm around."

Sora pulled a face at his silver-haired friend. "I saw her with my own eyes!"

Riku considered Sora's story. "What did she look like?"

"Uh, well, she had these wings! Like this!" Sora flapped his arms out.

"Wings?"

"Yeah!" Sora stared inside the tunnel.

Riku smiled and shook his head. His friend Sora was a funny kid.

"Do you hear that?" asked Sora.

A soft whistling reached the two children's ears.

"What is it…?" Riku bent over and stared into the tunnel as well.

"It reminds me of that girl's voice." commented Sora.

Riku stood back up. "Hey, Sora."

"Yeah?" Sora looked up.

"When we grow up, let's get off this boring island. We'll go on real adventures, not this kid stuff!" Riku said excitedly.

Sora smiled. "Yeah, we'll get out of here and I'll try and find that girl again!"

"Sure," agreed Riku. "I want to meet her too. But for now, let's go visit that new girl at the Mayor's house."

Sora nodded and the two ran off.

*****

Donald shook an angry fist at their tooth-filled prison. "Knock it off!" he yelled at it as the whale groaned loudly.

Sora sat up and blinked. They were inside Monstro's mouth. Mounds of wood were piled around the place, surrounded by water… Sora stared at the water. He really did hope it was water and not… something else…

"Ahyuk. Hey, Sora. Are you okay?" Goofy helped Sora to his feet. "Ya know, I think that big ol' whale Monstro just swallowed us."

Donald rolled his eyes at his friend's comment. A treasure box fell from the roof and landed next to Sora. Donald looked up.

"Who's there?" he demanded, holding his staff up.

"It's me!" shouted a kid's voice. Up above on one of the wood piles, a boy rummaged through a large chest. He pulled out a green blob and started walking away, carrying the object that Sora recognised as a Gummi Block.

"Pinocchio!" yelled Jiminy excitedly. "Where are you going? Pinnoch? Come on, let's follow him."

The group climbed up onto the planks and started jumping after the puppet. Sora prayed that he wouldn't slip and fall into the… water… Pinocchio carefully scrambled up onto the deck of a wooden ship washed up towards the back of the mouth.

"Well, what have you got there, Pinocchio?" A grey-haired man with a finely combed moustache asked.

The puppet smiled childishly. "With this, we can get out of here, Father!"

"With this strange block? You think so?" He bent down to inspect the green block Pinocchio had placed on the deck.

"It's true." Sora climbed up onto the boat.

The old man looked up with surprise. "Oh my, so the whale must have swallowed you too? My goodness!"

Sora scratched the back of his neck and shrugged. "Yeah, looks like it. So how'd you both get in here?"

"My name is Geppetto. I'm Pinocchio's father," The grey-haired man limped over and shook the trio's hands. "When we got separated, I travelled all over looking for him. Thank goodness we're together again."

Sora smiled at the old man. Movement suddenly caught his eye. He peeked over Geppetto's shoulder and swore he saw an oddly familiar person running into Monstro's throat.

Geppetto continued. "So, you seem to know my son quite well. I do hope he was a good boy in my absence." The man stretched. "Well, we've all had quite a journey. Right, Pinocchio?"

Geppetto turned to see his son skip off down into Monstro's throat. Sora waved at Geppetto to not worry as he took chase after the puppet.

*****

The trio stumbled into a cavern of some kind. The floors were sickeningly moist with saliva. Sora felt queasy just looking at the walls, which looked as though they had been painted by a three-year-old and had jelly beans stuck on it. Pinocchio rocked back and forth on his heels looking slightly suspicious.

"What are you doing, Pinocchio? Come on, let's get back to where it's safe." said Sora.

"You know, your father's awfully worried about you getting lost." advised Goofy.

The puppet only smiled.

"Pinocchio, stop fooling around. This is no place for games." Sora went to leave.

"But Sora, I thought you liked games." snickered Riku. He stepped up beside Pinocchio and put a hand on the puppet's head. "Or are you too cool to play them now that you have the Keyblade?"

Sora spun around, his eyes wide. "Riku! Wh-what are you doing here?"

Riku shrugged. "Oh, just playing with Pinocchio. It's not like anyone else is going to."

Sora stepped forward and scowled. "You know what I mean! What about Kairi? Did you find her?"

The teen shrugged again, but this time more jokingly. "Maybe... Catch us and maybe I'll tell you what I know."

Riku grabbed Pinocchio by the hand and pulled him down deeper into Monstro's throat. Sora yelled and ran after him.

*****

Riku raced into the bowels of the monster whale. He knew it would take Sora a lot longer, especially with all the Heartless in the way and the fact that the younger boy wasn't as fast. Maleficent stepped out from a portal.

"Why do you still care about that boy? He has all by deserted you for the Keyblade and his new companions after all." She looked down at him with a look of disapproval.

Riku frowned back. "I don't care about him. I was just messing with him a little."

Maleficent raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? Of course you were… Beware the darkness in your Heart; the Heartless prey upon it."

"Mind your own business." growled Riku.

Maleficent stepped back into a portal and left.

Sora emerged into the bowels. "Riku! What the hell is wrong with you?!" he demanded. "What were you thinking?! Don't you realise what you're doing?!"

Riku narrowed his eyes and glared at him. "I was about to ask you the same thing, Sora. You only seem interested in running around and showing off that Keyblade of yours these days. Do you even want to save Kairi? Do you even want to find Iji?"

Sora's anger dissolved into sadness as he heard the two girl's names. "I do…" His neck snapped up as realisation dawned. "Where is she, Riku? Where is Iji?"

"What do you mean?" Riku pretended he knew nothing.

"How do you know that Iji is missing? Riku, where did you see her last?" There was a strange calmness and maturity in Sora's voice that Riku had never heard before.

Riku averted his gaze. "I may have seen her…"

He stopped and looked up at the roof. A hole opened and a strange blue Heartless creature leapt down. A pair of arms flung out and snatched Pinocchio up. The puppet cried out for help as he was taken into the creature's barred mouth.

Riku walked up to Sora and summoned his Dark Blade. "You up to this?"

Sora looked at him in a puzzled fashion, but nodded and summoned his Keyblade. "Let's do this."

The Parasite cage lurched forward and started to attack. Sora, Goofy, Donald and Riku leapt to the side and avoided it. The Heartless bounced back to the centre and flailed its arms wildly, nearly knocking Donald off his feet as he threw a fireball. Goofy ran in to protect his friend.

"Give me a lift!" yelled Sora to Riku. "Its face is its weakest area!"

Riku slid under one of the arms over to Sora and made a step with his hands. Sora bounded onto it and Riku grunted as he heaved the brown-haired boy up into the air. Sora landed on top of the Parasite Cage's head.

"Die!" shouted Sora and shoved the Keyblade into the Heartless' face.

The creature gave a shudder and spat Pinocchio out onto the ground. It twitched horribly and fell through a hole that opened in the floor. Sora jumped off.

"Ha! We did it, Riku!" exclaimed Sora gleefully.

Riku ignored him and seized Pinocchio, heaving him down into the hole. Sora tumbled in after them and landed on the deck of Geppetto's boat.

"Please! Give me back my son!" begged Geppetto, motioning towards Riku who stood on a platform above them. Pinocchio lay limp in his arms.

"Sorry, old man. I have some unfinished business with this puppet." Riku settled the unconscious Pinocchio over his right shoulder.

"He's no puppet! Pinocchio is my little boy!" objected Geppetto.

"He is unusual. Not many puppets have Hearts. I'm not sure, but maybe he can help someone who's lost theirs." Riku took a side glance at the wooden boy.

Sora gasped. "Wait a minute. Are you talking about Kairi?"

Riku sneered at Sora. "What do you care about her? Why do you care for Iji even? You left her behind, too. You don't deserve to know her. I don't know why she came to you, but it's obvious now that she shouldn't of."

Riku jumped over to another platform leading to Monstro's stomach. Sora followed.

*****

Sora grabbed Riku's arm. The teen turned around and whacked him off. The two glared at each other, deep hatred starting to rise in their eyes.

"Let Pinocchio go, Riku." Sora said in his almost-freakishly calm voice again.

The puppet was over leaning on a wall, semi-conscious. Jiminy ran over, tears in his small eyes.

Riku flipped aside some of his hair. "A puppet that's been given a Heart… Maybe it holds the key to helping Kairi… How about it, Sora?" Riku's voice lightened. "Let's join forces to save her! We can do it together!"

Sora bent down into a fighting position.

Riku frowned. His voice turned back to that of before. "What? You'd rather fight me than help me save Kairi? Looks like I was right after all. If anything, you're the one who has no Heart."

"Heart or no Heart, at least I have a conscious. You might not hear it, but right now it's loud and clear! And it's telling me you're on the wrong side!" shouted the Keyblade Master.

"Then you give me no choice." growled Riku. "You'll never see Kairi or Iji again!"

Sora went in for the attack, but before he could reach out and strike Riku, and blue blob emerged from the roof. The Parasite Cage was back. Riku turned and created a portal. He took one last look at Pinocchio as the puppet ran for his life before he faded into the darkness.


	22. Chapter 22

Disclaimer: Not mine, yay!

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**Chapter 21- Windows to the Soul**

Kairi's eyes stared lifelessly into space. Her breathing was almost non-existent. Riku crouched beside her and held her hand. Captain Hook's ship rocked gently to a silent melody.

"Kairi's just like a puppet now." whispered Riku. "Is this what happens when you lose your Heart?"

Maleficent regarded the girl in front of her. "Unfortunately so, child. It has been stolen by the Heartless."

"What can I do to find it?" asked Riku.

Maleficent looked out to the stars. "There are seven maidens of the purest Heart. We call them the Princesses of Heart. Gather them together, and the lock to the door will open. The Door to the Heart of all worlds and within lays untold wisdom."

"So that's why you got me to bring Jasmine here…" thought Riku out loud.

"Yes… There is one more thing needed to open the door however." Maleficent placed both her hands on top of her staff.

"Huh?" Riku looked up.

"We require Iji." The witch continued. "I am not quite sure of how she is connected to the door, but it is important that we keep her within our sights. If we lose her, then all will be lost."

"Including Kairi's Heart…" Riku glanced back down at the barely living Kairi.

Maleficent smiled. "Now, I'll grant you a marvellous gift."

The witch swung her staff and a green glow surrounded Riku. He felt a surge of darkness within himself.

"What is this?" he asked, slightly panicked.

"The power to control the Heartless!" Maleficent cackled.

Riku gazed into Kairi's blank eyes as the dark power filled him. "Soon, Kairi, soon." A smile played on his lips. "But first I need to visit someone."

*****

"This day can't get any worse!" groaned Sora as they were shot out of Monstro's mouth. "Riku's such a jerk! He knows where Iji and Kairi are! I just know it!"

Donald grumbled. "Yeah, yeah, but right now they're not our main concern, Sora. We have to seal the Keyholes remember!"

Sora groaned again.

"Hey guys! There's a new tournament starting up at the Olympus Colosseum!" chirped Chip. The chipmunk bounced around happily.

Sora's groaning turned into an excited gasp. "Let's go for it!"

The Keyblade Master leapt onto the controls in an effort to set the warp drive. Chip and Dale attacked him, trying to pull him away from the buttons. Donald yelled profanities and Goofy laughed like an idiot.

*****

Iji wiped her brow on her shirt. Training was a lot harder, especially since didn't have anyone to practise against apart from a stone archway which looked like it was about to crumble at any second now.

"I need to get stronger…" she panted between gritted teeth.

She closed her eyes and breathed in, preparing for an attack. Spinning around she went to hit the archway again with her Star Cutters. A metal-against-metal sound made her open her eyes. Riku was standing in her way, blocking her attack with his own bat-winged blade.

"One more hit and I think it'll be history for that thing." Riku grinned. "You've been working out pretty hard."

Iji smiled back, glad for the compliment. "I'm gonna be stronger than Sora."

"Hey, but what about me now? Are you going to try and be stronger than me too?" Riku swung his sword over his shoulder.

Iji shrugged. "Yeah, I guess so."

Riku grinned at her again and Iji felt her heart give a flutter.

"Well then, let's see how you're going so far." Riku held out his weapon, ready to do battle.

Iji leapt back in response and prepared as well. She liked the sound of this challenge.

*****

"So you know the rules, right?" asked Phil impatiently.

"Yeah," nodded Sora excitedly. He flexed his hand and the Keyblade glinted in response.

The satyr unhooked the rope and let them through to the main arena.

*****

"Looks like you got a fair way to go, Iji." commented Riku. He stood above her as she lay on her back on the ground.

"Ouch," groaned Iji and groggily sat up. Riku had beaten her within ten minutes.

"But you did better than most would. Even Sora didn't last that long when we sparred together on the island." He helped her to her feet.

"Really? Ah!" Iji stumbled and fell, pulling Riku down with her as she grabbed his shirt on the way.

The pair landed awkwardly on top of each other. Iji's black and white eyes stared curiously up into Riku's mysterious aqua eyes. Riku blushed when he saw how close he was to her face. He could almost count her eyelashes. Riku shook his head and quickly pulled himself up. Iji rose as well, she looked slightly confused. She placed a hand over her Heart.

"Something wrong?" Riku asked as he noticed.

Iji's eyebrows knit into a concerned frown. "I don't know… I've never felt like this before. My Heart… it flutters when I think about you, or you're near."

Riku reached out and grabbed her hand, locking them together. He pulled her close and embraced her tightly. "I was really worried about you while I was gone, Iji. I don't know why, but I like you for some reason, even though I haven't known you for long."

There was no response from Iji. Riku stepped back from her, still holding onto her shoulders. The girl's eyes looked foggy and dark, clouded by shadow. They stared upwards into the sky, almost rolling into the back of her head.

"Iji?" Riku asked cautiously.

"I once had a Heart. But now it is gone and the light I replaced it with is fading fast…" The words flowed from Iji's mouth.

"Iji? Cut it out. You're freaking me out here." said Riku with wide eyes.

"Everything's so far away..." Iji continued. In the depths of Iji's eyes there shone a tiny pinpoint of light.

Riku shook Iji desperately, trying to get her to stop.

Iji's head fell forward until her eyes came to be level with Riku's. The pinpoint of light in her eyes changed into something different. Riku gazed into them and in the distance, he saw a man watching amusedly as Iji screamed in pain. The scene changed and Riku gasped. He saw himself holding the Keyblade whilst surrounded by shadows. Riku let go of Iji in shock.

"When you choose darkness, you make an enemy of the light." Iji whispered to him. Her eyelids closed over and she softly fell to the ground.

Riku bent down to her, wondering what had just happened.

"Hey, punk! What'd you do to my star player?" A long-fingered hand harshly grabbed Riku painfully and spun the teen around. Hades' hair was flickering on the edge of red.

Riku's eyes were full of confusion and fear. "I don't know! I just hugged her and she started going crazy!"

Hades glowered at the silver-haired teen. "You do know she's supposed to be helping me now, don't you?"

The anger in Hade's voice snapped Riku out of it and he glared back at the god. "There's been a change of plan. She's coming with me now to help me find the Princesses."

"Hey! But what about my plans?!" demanded Hades.

"They've been put on hold." Riku picked Iji up and carried her to the castle.

Hades growled heatedly. "If it wasn't for the fact that you're Maleficent's little flunky, you'd be nothing more than a pile of ash by now… So you better watch out, punk."

*****

"We're the champs!" shouted Sora joyfully, pumping his arm into the air whilst confetti danced around him, Donald and Goofy.

"Whaaahoo!" cheered Goofy.

"Oh boy, oh boy!" Donald jumped up and down.

Sora grinned and looked out into the sky. His face fell. "I wish you could have seen me win, Iji…" he whispered.


	23. Chapter 23

Disclaimer: Not mine, yay!

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**Chapter 22- Maiden Exploration**

The gummy ship Riku had been given was much larger than he had expected. It had to be, in order for him to transport the Princesses back. In the lower level of the ship there was a chamber full of pods. Riku was to put them in there, placing the maidens in a semi-living stasis.

"Iji?" Riku gently nudged the sleeping girl in the seat beside him.

"Yes, Riku?" Iji slowly awoke. "You said you were worried about me, while you were gone?"

Riku smiled; glad to see she was finally awake and not hurt. She hadn't remembered anything of their incident by the looks of it. "Yeah, but never mind that now. Look where we are."

Iji rubbed her eyes and blinked. "We're in space! How'd we get here?" She turned to Riku in question.

"…" Riku stared at Iji's right pupil. It had once been a pure white colour. Now it was flecked with small pieces of black.

"Riku?" Iji tilted her head.

Riku felt dirty suddenly. Like when he had hugged her, he had spread some kind of pollution into her from himself.

"Is something wrong, Riku?" Iji lightly touched his arm and smiled.

"Don't touch me!" Riku shouted, smacking her off.

Iji snapped her hand back, like it had been bitten by a poisonous creature. The smile had disappeared off her face.

Riku felt like an idiot. 'I don't want her to have a relapse. I don't want her to lose her Heart to the darkness…' he thought.

The pair sat in silence for what seemed hours, travelling the endless expanse of space until Riku arrived at their first destination.

"Wait here for a little while. I'll be back soon." He told her and disembarked.

"Even though… you're angry at me, I still want to help you." said Iji after he left.

*****

Goofy scratched his head and looked around. The new world they had arrived on was somehow… less vibrant than the other worlds they had visited. "This sure is a spooky place," remarked the king's guard. "I'll bet the people here are scary lookin' too."

Donald laughed. "Don't worry. We look spooky too. If they scare us, we'll scare them right back!"

Sora studied his new appearance carefully. He did look rather scary if he thought so himself. The trio was startled as an explosion sounded and a cloud of dust rose up from to the main square. Sora and his companions ran up to the fountain to investigate. As they approached, a horde of ghost-like Heartless suddenly appeared. Sora summoned his Keyblade, bracing for their attack…. It didn't come. Instead the ghosts jiggled around harmlessly.

"And now, allow me to introduce the master of terror, the king of nightmares- Jack Skellington!" A strange looking man shouted behind them. He was oddly shaped like a triangular cylinder and wore a tuxedo and a long top hat.

The water in the fountain started to bubble and boil, sending steam over the edge. Sora, Goofy and Donald all stepped back nervously as a tall skeletal creature wearing a pinstriped suit emerged from the water. The creature struck a scary pose.

"Bravo, Jack! Bravo!" said the first man, clapping. "Those ghosts will be a big hit at this year's Halloween!"

The creature called Jack bowed. "Thank you, thank you!" He strode over the man. "But, to be honest, Mayor, their movements still needs work. It's not scary enough. I want bone-chilling terror!" Jack wiggled his bony fingers menacingly. "I'm going to consult the doctor."

The mayor grinned. "Then I'll go attend to the decorations!" He waddled away.

Jack went over to a large metal door and disappeared through it. Sora and the others followed curiously.

*****

"That's one more." Riku wiped his brow.

Aurora had been the easiest. Before Maleficent had left her homeworld, she had placed a sleeping spell over the Princess. Aurora now accompanied two others like herself; Snow White and Cinderella.

"That makes three altogether now." added Iji. She handed Riku a damp cloth.

"Thanks." He took it reluctantly.

"You said there were seven?" asked Iji for confirmation.

Riku nodded. "Yes, and we need all of them to help Kairi find her Heart." He hadn't told her about her part in all this. "I'm pretty sure I know where the next one is, but the one after that though… she'll be hard to find. But we already have two at Hollow Bastion."

"So that's really five then? That's not too bad." Iji said enthusiastically.

Riku nodded. "Yeah, I guess. Let's get going then. I feel the next one's not going to be as easy."

Riku pressed the ignition button and they sped towards their next goal. They arrived within an hour. Riku stretched his arms and walked over to the air lock.

"Wait, Riku!" Iji ran over beside him. "I-I want to come, just this once? Please?"

Riku stared into her eyes. She was determined to come. The flecks of darkness in her white eye glinted at him. He frowned.

Iji's shoulders dropped and she turned around. "Sora did the exact same thing to me. He never let me do anything. You two are more alike than you think." she whispered.

Riku reached out for her. "No, no, I'm not. You can come, but if you get into danger, I want you out of there as fast as you can go. Okay?"

Iji swung back around, a grin on her face. "Oh thank you, Riku!"

She went to hug him, but Riku turned around so she wouldn't. "The quicker we do this, the better." he said.

They entered the air lock and teleported onto the world. As soon as they landed Riku grabbed Iji's hand. His hand quivered.

"What is it?" asked Iji, looking around in the darkness.

"Wolves…" he whispered nervously.

Iji's eyes adjusted to the lack of light and she only barely held back a scream. A dozen growling wolves were circling them. Riku backed up against Iji.

"Stay still," he said softly. "I'll protect you."

"No, you won't." Iji hissed back. "I can protect myself."

"Fine, then. Remember what I said though." Riku readied his blade.

'I can do this.' Iji thought. She prepared her own weapons.

The wolves closed in, getting nearer and nearer. The biggest one struck first, rushing for Riku. The teen responded with a forward slash. The wolf ducked under and pounced upwards, his head hitting Riku's chin. Riku stumbled back and rubbed his chin sorely. The animal leapt for him again. Riku soared up into the air, then realised he left Iji's back completely exposed.

"Iji! Behind you!" Riku yelled in alarm.

Iji waited until the last second and swung around, Star Cutters in hand. The wolf clamped down onto the metal rods with his mouth. Iji pulled on them, but they wouldn't budge.

"Let go of them!" shouted Iji.

The wolf snarled threateningly through closed fangs.

"Take this then!" Iji slid her fingers out of the rings. Her leg flew up and thwacked the wolf in the ribs, winding it. Quickly she grabbed onto her Star Cutters and swung her body around, sending the wolf up into the air.

Riku watched in amazement as her weapons fell out of the animal's mouth and she grabbed them.

"Riku!" she called.

He shook himself out of it as he saw the wolf flying up towards him. "Got it!" he called back and slashed down with his bat-winged blade, leaving a large gash in the wolf's hind quarters.

The wolf howled in pain and landed with a thud on the ground. The rest of the pack shivered in fear and backed away, dragging their leader with them.

Riku ran over to Iji. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I am." Iji grinned.

Riku sighed in relief. "That was amazing! When did you learn to do that?"

"Just then," She shrugged. "I had to do something, didn't I? You couldn't do it all yourself."

Riku wondered if that had been an insult. He shrugged it off and smiled back. "Great work, Iji. Come on, we gotta get going!"

*****

Jack stroked his chin thoughtfully. "I don't understand. Maybe the guidance system was damaged in the explosion."

One of the Heartless ghosts lifelessly lay on the table. A large headed man in a squeaky wheelchair flipped through a massive book.

"Nonsense," he replied promptly. "My devices are always perfect!"

"Oh, I've got it!" Jack exclaimed excitedly. He went over to the book and turned it several pages. He pointed to a particular diagram. "Why, of course! The Heartless need a Heart! Doctor, do you think we can add a Heart to the device?"

The doctor nodded. "Certainly, a Heart's not all that complicated. Let's get to work."

The pair collected ingredients together, setting them next to a metal heart-shaped container.

The doctor looked at the container. It had a lock on it. "We need the key to this thing first…"

"I'll unlock it for you." Sora volunteered, stepping out from behind the doorway.


	24. Chapter 24

Disclaimer: Not mine, yay!

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**Chapter 23- Infiltration of Darkness**

A bolt of lightning illuminated the foreboding castle before Iji and Riku. Only one light shone forth from a lonely window.

"Whoa, what kind of Princess would live in a place like this? It's a dump!" Iji said with a hint of disgust in her voice.

Riku stole a concerned side glance at her. 'She's changed from when I first met her… Somehow, she doesn't seem so pure anymore… And it's my entire fault, too.'

*****

The doctor proudly held his completed Heart up. "There you go. This time it's sure to work!"

The doctor started forward with his work. A streak of red pounced out from under the table, sending the doctor and the Heart flying. A faded purple streak grabbed up the Heart and the two headed for the door where their accomplice was waiting. She hurried them out of the door, but not before blowing a raspberry at Sora and the others.

The doctor shook his fist as they left. "The nerve of those brats!"

"We'll catch them!" yelled Sora, and took off after them.

*****

Iji crept over to the double doors of the castle and slowly pushed them open. She beckoned Riku over and the pair silently slipped inside, careful to follow the walls. They climbed up a pillar to the next level to avoid going up the stairs which looked creaky.

Riku halted Iji back as they came to a room. He pointed and they heard a voice coming from inside.

"You've got to stop going out there. You're only getting yourself hurt." said a woman's voice worriedly.

A growling voice spoke next. "I know… but I have to stop these creatures from taking over the castle. They want to come inside."

"I love you for protecting us, you know." responded the woman. "Lie still now. I've got to dress your wounds."

A pain-filled snarl erupted from the room.

"Go to sleep. You'll be better in the morning. Good night, my prince."

"Good night, Belle."

The main light faded. Soft footsteps came towards the door. Iji and Riku ducked behind an alcove. A glowing candlestick emerged from the door, followed by a beautiful brown-haired woman in a golden gown. She walked down the hall, not noticing the extra two shadows that tailed her. The woman entered a library and set her candles down. She picked a book from the shelves and started to read it by the light of the lamp. Riku snuck slowly behind her chair. Iji followed suit.

"Mademoiselle!" shouted an unknown voice as Riku burst out from behind her.

In a flash Riku flipped a gag around Belle's mouth. The woman gave a stifled gasp of surprise and struggled to stand up. Iji quickly tied a rope around her legs and arms, leaving her defenceless. Riku tied a separate blindfold on. He gave thumbs up to Iji.

Iji grinned. This was fun.

The light from the candles suddenly snuffed out, leaving the entire room in darkness. Belle fell to the ground, knocking herself out cold.

"Huh?" Riku said in confusion. "Iji, what'd you do to the candles?"

"I didn't do anything!" retorted Iji. "I swear they went out themselves!"

"Belle!!" A roar echoed throughout the castle.

The floor started to shake violently.

"Let's get out of here!" Riku pushed Iji.

The girl didn't budge.

"Iji!" Riku pulled at her arm.

Still nothing…

Sparkles of light floated past his face, making him turn around. One of the bookshelves started to glow, illuminating Iji's and Riku's faces.

"No not now, Iji!" Riku said, feeling his blood run cold.

The girl's eyes had clouded over. She lifted an arm out towards the bookshelf and a Keyhole formed.

The shaking of the floor halted as there was a final thundering stomp. Riku twisted his head and gaped. A huge, werewolf-like beast towered over him.

"Where is Belle?" The brown-furred creature snorted angrily.

Riku jumped back and called out his sword. "I'm taking her with me."

The beast's eyes narrowed. "She stays here with me."

"The Keyhole is open. Where is the Keyblade Master?" Iji's voice sounded eerily disembodied.

"Keyhole?" The creature looked up from Riku.

Riku quickly weighed up his options. It didn't seem as though he could win with Iji in her state. And he would also have to protect his capture as well.

The beast's attention snapped back to Riku and he spotted his love tied up on the ground. "How dare you injure my Belle!" The beast bellowed furiously and swung a clawed hand at Riku.

Riku jumped back. This strange being was starting to annoy him. Hatred filled his Heart.

"I summon the Heartless!" he called and struck his blade into the ground.

A swirling pit of darkness erupted from the floor. Dark trails of mist floated around Riku as a multitude of black claws burst out of the abyss. The beast backed up.

"Attack him!" ordered Riku heatedly.

The shadows glanced from their summoner to the beast, and then back again.

"Attack!" commanded Riku, pointing at the beast.

The shadows ignored him, instead running behind him. Riku turned to yell at them again when he saw their objective. The mass of Heartless overtook Iji and leapt into the Keyhole. A beam of darkness shot back at Iji, piercing her through the chest.

"Watch out, Iji!" Riku heaved Iji with all his might, pushing her out of the way of the beam.

The beam spread out and covered the entire room in darkness. In the distance they heard something shatter. The silvery lustre of the Keyhole turned to a purple colour. The shape of the Keyhole changed into an elongated Heart. Two glowing gold eyes opened and a Darkside stepped out into being. The Heartless loomed over them all.

"This world… has been cast into the shadows." said Iji weakly.

"We're getting out of here." Riku grabbed the Iji and Belle and teleported back to the ship.

"Belle!" The beast's roars echoed from the descending darkness.

*****

Sora, Jack, Goofy and Donald glared down at Lock, Stock and Barrel. The three masked children looked close to tears.

"We were just following orders! Oogie Boogie told us to steal the Heart!" Stock protested.

"It's all Barrel's fault!" chimed in Lock.

"But, you guys said…"

*****

Riku collapsed onto his hands and knees when he finally reached the ship. He gasped for air as sweat dripped off him into pools. Iji and Belle both lay a couple of feet away. Determinedly, Riku forced himself to stand. He slung Belle heavily over his shoulders and dragged her down to the pods.

Iji's eyes fluttered open as she came to. She sat up. "Riku? Did we get her?"

Riku heard her and started to climb back up the stairs. "We got her. You did well…-" Riku reached the top step and stared at Iji.

On her white wing was a splash of black that extended out from the wing-shoulder joint. It was like a horrible ink stain that seemed to be slowly spreading.

"What are you looking at, Riku?" Iji frowned as she laid eyes on him. There were larger streaks of darkness in her eye.

"We're going back." announced the teen.

"What about the last Princess though? Shouldn't we go search for her?" asked Iji.

"We'll have time later. Right now I need to get you back to Hollow Bastion." Riku took up the controls and set the warp drive.

Iji placed her hands on her hips. "You said I could come along, Riku. Why are you dumping me off now when we're so close? What am I supposed to do while you're gone?"

Riku didn't turn around to her. He didn't want to see the damage he felt he had caused. "Hades wanted to enter you in a contest, didn't he? Why don't you go ask him for something to do?"

Iji glowered. "Fine, then." She slumped into her chair. "Last time I trust you," she grumbled inaudibly for Riku's ears.


	25. Chapter 25

Disclaimer: Not mine, yay!

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**Chapter 24- Beating the Odds **

"Hey, hey, what do you know? The little angel comes back." Hades grinned as Iji stomped into the chamber angrily.

"Can it," Iji snapped back.

Hades raised an eyebrow. "Looks like she developed an attitude while she was away too." he commented as he noticed Iji's new looks.

Iji flipped some hair out of her face and glared at Hades. "Well, am I going to that contest or not?" she asked impatiently.

The girl's eyes made the god uncomfortable. "Yeah, kid, whatever you want. Your preliminary test starts in an hour." Hades opened a portal for them to walk through.

"Will Sora be there?" asked Iji suddenly.

"No idea." Hades shrugged. He tightened a fist. 'You had better not win Oogie Boogie; I want to take out the punk myself.' he thought.

*****

"Give me back that Heart!" demanded Jack, pointing up at the sack-like Oogie Boogie.

"You want it? Well, then come on over and get it!" Oogie Boogie grinned and swallowed the mechanical Heart. He laughed deeply. "Now, let's see if I can get their attention! Heartless! Oh, Heartless!" Two Heartless creatures appeared. Oogie Boogie stared in disbelief. "This is it?" His eyes narrowed. "Nobody disrespects me! Nobody!"

Sora summoned his Keyblade and ran onto the roulette wheel. "You're going down, Oogie Boogie!" he cried.

*****

Phil scoffed as a young girl presented a pass to him. "You're kidding me, right? You couldn't pass for a hero if you tried!" He laughed at Iji.

Iji grabbed the satyr by the horns until he was eye level with her. She glared angrily. "I'm entering the games, shorty. I gave you my pass, now let me in." She dropped Phil onto the floor.

Phil got up and brushed himself off. "Just don't come crying to me when you get beat." He unhooked the rope.

"No problems, I don't plan on losing." Iji pushed past him and entered the main arena.

Phil followed her out.

"Do I really have to beat all these weaklings to get into the main tournament?" Iji turned her nose up when she saw the board listings.

"Yeah, it's not called a 'preliminary' for nothing." Phil explained irritably. He smirked. "But, if you want... Maybe we could come to an agreement."

"You got my attention," Iji looked over to him. "So…?"

"How about we have a little bet? If you win, I let you let you in early. If you lose, you don't even get to try again from the beginning. All you need to do is just beat one of the guys on the top of the list." Phil poked his finger at one of the top listings that said 'Reverse Guard Armour'.

Iji smirked. "Piece of cake, I'll be seeing you again in a couple of seconds."

Iji walked onto the arena and summoned her weapons. Her opponent appeared out of the air and landed heavily with a clank. The Reverse Guard Armour attacked first, swinging a massive claw at the girl. Iji smirked once more and leapt onto the armour's hand. She bounced off it onto the Heartless's shoulder and shoved her Star Cutters into the creature's head via the face guard and twisted them brutally. Darkness poured out of the wound like a waterfall. Her opponent crashed to the ground in a pile of metal. The metal disappeared and a heart floated into the sky.

"Whoa, what on Olympus just happened?!" Phil watched in awe.

Iji casually strolled over to Phil. "I win the bet, right?"

Phil nodded and said nothing. Iji passed by him to head to the locker room.

"Call me when my next match is ready," she flapped a hand.

Hercules walked up to Phil's side. "That was amazing! I didn't think she had it in her!"

Phil sighed. "Seriously, Herc, I think it's only going to get worse from here on in."

*****

A bench clattered to the floor as Iji entered the locker room. A man with blonde hair was standing, his hand on the hilt of his bandaged sword.

"Did I surprise you?" asked Iji with an amused tone.

The man relaxed and fixed the bench. "No, but I wasn't really expecting anyone." He looked uneasily at Iji's black wing and sat back down. "So, are you here for the tournament too?" he asked calmly.

"Yeah," Iji nodded and held out a hand. "The name's Iji."

"Cloud." The swordsman shook her hand. She had a strong grip.

The pair sat in silence for a few minutes.

"Iji," Cloud said suddenly, breaking the quiet. "May I ask a personal question?"

The girl shrugged lazily. "Guess so,"

"Are you looking for your light?" He glanced at her tainted wing.

Iji paused to think. "I'm looking for a lot of things at the moment..." she said. "But I was once told that all my answers lie in the darkness."

*****

Jack sighed and hugged his love. "Sally, why didn't I listen to you?"

The rag doll smiled sympathetically. "Don't feel bad, Jack. We'll come up with another plan for Halloween. Next time, we'll do it together."

Sora looked on and smiled to himself. There were a couple of people he had to start searching for again.

*****

Iji powered her way through the Phil Cup. Compared to the Reverse Guard Armour she had fought, this was easy as.

"Take this!" she yelled as she sent a delivering blow to a Powerwild.

The monkey Heartless fell over, defeated. Iji had won all the possible battles in the first cup.

"You're doing well." commented Cloud from the sidelines.

"I know," Iji smirked. It faded as she thought about the listings, seeing Sora's name at the top. She still hadn't surpassed him.

Phil placed a new poster up on the side of the wall. Iji and Cloud went over to inspect it. On the poster was a winged horse carrying a trophy. Below it were the words; 'Pegasus Cup'.

Phil grinned at the pair. "Next cup's coming up soon. Think you'll be ready for it?"

"No sweat." said Iji. She took a side glance at Cloud. "Will you be entering?"

Cloud gave a shrug. "I don't know. Might pass this one though and wait for the next cup instead."

Iji smirked back. "Have it your way then."


	26. Chapter 26

Disclaimer: Not mine, yay!

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**Chapter 25- Leon's Pride**

Yuffie tapped her fingers on the side of her seat. She and Leon were travelling to the Olympus Colosseum to participate in a tournament they had heard about.

"Squall!!" groaned Yuffie anxiously. "Are we there yet?"

"Leon, Yuffie! Leon!" growled Leon. "And no, we aren't!"

"Yeah, yeah…" Yuffie pouted. "Anyway, are we there yet?"

Leon death-stared at the ninja for several minutes.

"I just asked if we were there yet. What's wrong with that?" Yuffie shrugged her shoulders, ignoring Leon. She paused for a second, staring into space. "Are we there yet?"

"Arrg!!! No!!" yelled Leon.

A button flashed several times. Leon looked down at it, then back up to see Olympus in front of them.

"Alright, now we are." grumbled Leon.

"Great!" Yuffie hopped over the transporter and disembarked.

'You just had to bring her, didn't you?!' Leon thought angrily as he followed.

The two appeared by the grand gates of the world exit. Yuffie ran ahead, pleading Leon to hurry up. Leon walked extra slow, just to annoy the ninja.

"You did that on purpose, I know it!!" shouted Yuffie as they finally entered.

"Oi, quiet!" commanded a goat-man from below them. "People are trying to work here!"

"Oooh," Yuffie bent down and poked him. "It's a hairy little man!"

The 'hairy little man' turned red. He slapped Yuffie away. "I'm a satyr, got it?! And the name's Phil!"

"Fine, then." pouted Yuffie.

Leon rubbed his temples. Yuffie always gave him a headache. He looked down at Phil. "We're here for the tournament."

"Have you got a pass?" asked Phil.

"We need a pass?!" screeched Yuffie unexpectedly.

Phil winced and felt his head ringing with bells.

*****

"Ooooh, yeah!" Yuffie danced around as she finished off a Heartless. "Just one more match to go!"

Leon lowered his Gunblade and wiped his brow. He took a swig from a potion bottle quickly, hoping that Yuffie wouldn't see. She didn't, instead choosing to keep talking.

"I wonder who we'll face in the next match? I hope it's someone good!" Yuffie made some fake punches in the air.

Leon's Gunblade suddenly clattered to the ground.

"Hey, Squall, what's up with you?" Yuffie turned around and she dropped the shuriken in her hands.

"I was expecting you guys." smirked Iji. She strolled onto arena area and put her hands on her hips.

"Why are you here, Iji?" Leon asked.

"Oh, just thought I'd have a little fun. Courtesy of Hades, of course." she mused. She lent back into an attack position and summoned her Star Cutters. "So, are you ready?"

Leon picked up his Gunblade, eyes narrowed. "What happened to you, Iji? Why have you given in to the darkness?"

Iji's eyebrows twitched. "It wasn't my choice, but I must admit, it's a lot more fun that hanging out with you guys. Now put up, or shut up!"

Iji ran in for the attack. Leon responded and prepared himself.

*****

Sora tapped his fingers on the arm-rest of his seat. He was impatient to find the two girls. A small fist tapped him on the head. Dale jumped down into his lap.

"Hey, Sora! I just heard over the transceiver that there's a new tournament on at the Colosseum!"

Sora perked up. "Let's go then!" He jumped to his feet.

"No! Don't let him near the controls!" yelled Donald.

Sora was set upon by the two chipmunks.

"Aiiee! Teeth! Teeth!" screamed Sora as the chipmunks gnawed on his ankles. He swatted at them.

Donald ignored the chaos and set the warp drive. Light filled the cabin as they instantly arrived at their destination.

"Guys, we're here." said Donald.

Goofy, Sora, Chip and Dale continued to wrestle.

"Fine, whatever…" sighed the magician and teleported off.

"Oi! Wait for us!" yelled Sora as he and Goofy finally managed to hold back the rabid chipmunks. They leapt into the teleporter.

"About time!" grumbled Donald as they arrived a few seconds after him. "Come on, let's get in there."

The trio wandered into the foyer. Phil wasn't there. Instead there was a note that read; 'Gone to the locker room to patch up some losers –Phil'. Sora scratched his head. It couldn't have been the Heartless Phil was looking after; they disappeared when you defeated them. Sora decided to investigate and headed inside to the locker room.

"Heya, Sora! You made it for the next cup!" Hercules greeted them from outside the locker room.

"Yeah," nodded the spiky-haired kid. "Herc, who is Phil patching up?"

"A guy and a girl, both pretty strong, but they got beaten up pretty bad by this other girl. Think their names are Leon and Yuffie." Hercules rubbed his chin in thought.

"Leon and Yuffie?!" exclaimed Sora. He burst into the locker room.

"Sora? I thought that was your voice!" Yuffie was looking at the doorway. Leon's head was in her lap. She wetted a cloth and placed it on the Gunblade wielder's forehead.

"What just happened? I heard you both got beat up!" Sora walked up to the pair.

Donald and Goofy went over to talk to Phil.

"Well, I didn't get beat up too badly, but poor Squall here. Iji just took him apart." Yuffie caught the damp cloth as it slipped and placed it back on Leon's forehead.

Sora's head nearly exploded. "Did-did you say Iji, Yuffie?"

Yuffie nodded sadly, she looked like crying. "You wouldn't believe how much she's changed, Sora. She's not the same girl anymore. Something bad happened while she was with Maleficent that made her Heart turn to the darkness. When we fought her, I could see nothing but hatred in her eyes. It was like we were her enemies."

Sora stared at the floor. What happened to her while she was away?

Yuffie grabbed Sora's hands and stared into his eyes. "But there's still hope, Sora! If she really was our enemy now, she would have killed us. She had every opportunity to, but she didn't! You have to save her, Sora!"

"What can I do though? You guys are stronger than me!"

Leon opened his eyes and looked over at Sora, smiling weakly. "No, you are stronger. Your Heart is your weapon. Use it to save Iji."

They were interrupted by Hercules. The hero kept flashing his eyes back to the door nervously as he approached Sora. "Um, Sora, that girl… she's challenging you to a one-on-one."

Sora grimaced. "Looks like I this will be my only chance to save her." He rose and walked out the door to the arena.

Leon and Yuffie watched after him.

"He's got a good Heart, that Sora." smiled Yuffie. She looked down at Leon. "Are you feeling better?"

"Yeah, but my pride's still damaged…" Leon gave a short laugh, followed by a cough. He stared up at the ceiling, thinking back to the last few seconds of the battle with Iji…

Yuffie was on the ground, knocked out, but not badly hurt. He, Leon, was down on his knees. Iji kicked his Gunblade out of his hand and held one of her Star Cutters deadly close to his neck. "Kill me already," he whispered hoarsely. Iji gave a hollow laugh. "Why should I do that when I can just leave you empty? This match is over." Iji pushed Leon to the ground and smirked. She left, laughing at her victory…


	27. Chapter 27

Disclaimer: Not mine, yay!

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**Chapter 26- Sora's Compassion**

Sora stood in shock when he saw the girl waiting for him in the arena.

"Hello, Sora." smiled Iji grimly.

"Hello…" Sora replied. He hardly recognised Iji now; she had changed so much inside and out. "Do we have to fight?" asked Sora, pleading for the good side of Iji to show itself.

Iji summoned her Star Cutters and nodded. "Unfortunately we do, Sora. We have no other choice."

Hades sat on a bench, eating popcorn. "Go Iji! Rip that punk apart!"

Iji turned, eyes glaring. "You will stay silent during this match, Hades. I'm not going to kill him, no matter how much you want me to."

"You're not?" interrupted Sora in wonder.

Iji turned back to him. "No, of course not… I entered this competition to show you how good I've become, but it doesn't mean I won't hurt you though."

Sora flinched at her words and summoned his Keyblade. "I didn't want it to come to this, Iji." He crouched down to prepare.

"I did." Iji tightened her grip on her weapons and ran at Sora.

Iji swung both her arms together, aiming for Sora's ribs. Sora quickly whipped his Keyblade to the side and deflected the attack.

"I will help you find the light again!" Sora gritted his teeth as he leapt at Iji.

Iji ducked and put her foot out, tripping Sora over. "I don't want to come back! The darkness holds all the answers to my questions!" She stabbed down.

Sora dodge-rolled out of the way and sprung to his feet. "It doesn't, Iji! You can find the answers in the light, too!"

"No, there's nothing left for me in the light! I can only depend on the darkness for my answers now!" Iji cried out. She faltered as she spoke and Sora cut her arm. Iji glared at him and counter-attacked, ripping Sora's shirt and leaving him with a shallow gash across the chest.

Sora held his free hand up to the wound, which dripped blood. He cast a cure spell to heal his injury and attacked again. Iji was scored across her legs as he swung low. Blood blossomed from the new wound. Iji ignored the pain and continued to attack, this time scratching Sora on the stomach. Sora healed himself once more.

Sora watched as blood dripped down Iji's shirt and pants and pooled on the ground. "It's the darkness which holds nothing for you, Iji! I helped you to gain a memory before, remember? We can keep working at it! I can help you!"

Iji stopped dead, her eyes looked reminiscent. "The memory… When we first met in the Secret Place…"

"That's the one, Iji!" Sora encouraged her. "And remember how much fun we had in Wonderland? Didn't you have fun?"

"I had fun… But you didn't let me help you the entire time we were there." Iji stared at the blood on the ground. Her face was starting to look pale.

"I was stupid, Iji! I understand now! You're much stronger than I thought you were! You're even more capable than me!" Sora yelled, trying to keep her attention.

Iji dropped to her knees. She held back tears. "All I wanted to do was help. That's why I went to Agrabah, because I wanted to help you find the Keyholes."

Sora walked over to her and sat down beside her. "You said you wanted to show me how good you've become. I believe you now, Iji. I believe you."

Tears fell from Iji's eyes. The girl stared up into the sky. "Thank you, Sora. That's all… That's all I wanted."

Sora wrapped his arms around the crying girl. He was so glad that she had made the right choice. As he hugged her, a bright glow surrounded Iji. The darkness tainting her white wing shrivelled away and the black streaks in her eyes vanished. Her wounds healed instantly. Iji sighed tiredly, like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

Dark robes approached them. Hades' hair was burning red. "You were supposed to take him out! Not go back to his side!!"

"Leave her alone, Hades. She doesn't belong to the darkness anymore." Sora held Iji closer.

Hades suddenly turned around, his hair turning back to normal. "Hey, why should I care? I always have a backup plan in place, anyway. Now you three have fun."

"What are you on about?" Sora asked in confusion.

"Oh, you'll see." Hades smirked. He clicked a bony finger and thumb together and the gates magically sealed. "You'll see indeed…" Hades drifted off, leaving them trapped. A dark laugh echoed behind him.

Sora blinked. "I think he's lost it. There's nobody else here!"

A slight breeze blew and whirled around the pair.

Iji's eyes went wide. "No, it can't be…"

"What is it? It's only a wind." Sora looked around.

"The Wind Titan…" Iji whispered in fear.


	28. Chapter 28

Disclaimer: Not mine, yay!

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**Chapter 27- Flight of the Angels**

The wind rapidly picked up speed until the two where having trouble staying on the ground. The side wall exploded into hundreds of pieces as a tornado burst into it. Chunks of stone were flung into the sky and came crashing down loudly. Sora looked up and gasped.

"Watch out!" Sora grabbed Iji out of the way as one huge chunk landed. "Are you okay?" asked Sora.

"Yes." nodded Iji. She looked over at the Wind Titan, who laughingly stared down at them with empty eyes. "We can't beat it with our weapons, Sora. It'd be hopeless if we did!"

"How do we beat it then?" yelled Sora over the roar.

Iji looked back at Sora and smiled.

Sora's brow knit into bewilderment. "What are you thinking, Iji?"

"I'm thinking it's about time I protected you for a change." Iji struggled to her feet to face the Wind Titan. Blood flew away in droplets from her wounds.

"No! You're hurt!" Sora tried to join her, but she pushed him down.

Iji shook her head. "This is only something I can do. Okay, Sora?" She gazed into his blue eyes.

Sora's shoulders slumped. "I guess…"

Iji smiled once more. She turned her attention back to the tornado. "Hey! Ugly! Why don't you come and get me already?!"

"Ugly?!" screeched the Titan.

"Yeah! What are you going to do about it, huh?! How about you come and teach me a lesson, you windbag!" Iji spread her wings out wide.

"But, Iji, you don't know how to fly!" Sora gaped.

"There's always a first time for everything." Iji jumped into the air, letting herself get pulled up into the Wind Titan's air currents.

"I kill you!" roared the Wind Titan, and swiped at her with its whirlwind-like arms.

Iji prayed it would work. She flapped her wings down and soared above the attack. Success! A rush of happiness flowed through Iji's body along with the somehow-familiar feeling of flight.

Sora watched in amazement as Iji flew through the air, dodging the Titan's attempts to hit her. Iji seemed to be winning!

The Wind Titan flailed its arms wildly, trying to suck in the girl who had called her names. Anger boiled up in its eyes. "I'll blow you away!!" it wailed in its wind-like voice. The direction of the wind changed and the Wind Titan started blowing everything away from it.

"What?" Iji gasped and was somersaulted through the air as a jet hit her. Iji righted herself and flapped harder to try and get closer to the Wind Titan.

"I haaave youuuu!" laughed the tornado and threw its arms together.

The strong torrent of air flung Iji down onto the ground. The angel crashed into the arena, leaving a mess of cracked tiles and blood.

"Iji!" Sora crawled over to her.

The whirlwind-like Titan changed the wind's direction again.

Iji groaned and smiled at Sora. She was looking paler with each passing second. "Maybe you were wrong after all… I'm not as strong."

A tear formed in Sora's eye. "I'm not wrong! You are strong! Like you said, only you can do this! Iji, use your Heart, fight with it!" He grabbed her hand.

Iji closed her eyes and breathed lightly. "I'll use my Heart to fight." Iji rose to her feet and confronted the Wind Titan face-to-face. "I'm not gonna lose to you! I'll keep fighting till I'm dead!"

The Wind Titan laughed.

Suddenly Iji's body pulsated with a bright glow. White pulses, followed by black pulses. They grew more and more powerful as she slowly stumbled towards the Wind Titan.

Sora shielded his eyes from the glare; he could only make out Iji's outline now. He watched in bewilderment as the pulses of light and darkness split off from Iji's body.

The radiance dimmed, allowing Sora to see clearly. He nearly fell back in shock when he saw what was before him. Two more girls had appeared. They looked just like Iji, but there was something different about them, apart from the fact one glowed white with matching wings and the other black and the same also for her wings…

"More bugs for me to blow away!" sniggered the Wind Titan.

The first Iji walked up to join ranks with the other two. "Are you ready?" she asked them weakly.

The other two nodded. Together the trio flapped their wings and took to the sky.

"Trinity Chains!"

Three beams of grey, white and black light shot out of the three girls and towards the Wind Titan. They twined around the whirlwind's body and fastened simultaneously. The Wind Titan's eyes widened as the beams became tighter and tighter. The tornado gave a deafening roar as the Titan's body could take no more. The wind composing its body burst apart and dispersed into the sky. The magically sealed gates flung themselves open.

Sora cheered. "Iji, you did it!"

The three girls turned around in synchronisation and smiled.

Sora blinked. The glow from the two other girls had vanished, letting Sora see what they truly looked like. The girl with the white wings had familiar silver hair and piercing aquamarine eyes. He stepped back in shock. It wasn't this one that scared him though; it was the one with the black wings. She had brown hair and sapphire blue eyes, exactly the same as him…

The two strange girls faded into the air, their whispery forms rushing back into Iji. Iji fell from the sky, landing with a loud thump on the ground.

Sora bent down beside her. "You did it, Iji." He healed her wounds with some Cure spells.

Iji smiled. "Of course I did. I used my Heart, just like you told me to."

Sounds of furious yelling reached their ears. Red flames shot out of one of the alcoves. "Arrrrg!!"

Sora grabbed Iji's hand and laughed. "Come on; let's get out of here before Hades blows himself up."

Iji giggled and ran with him.


	29. Chapter 29

Disclaimer: Not mine, yay!

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Chapter 28- Under the Wide Sky**

"Hey guys!" Sora ran into the locker room, Iji trailing behind. "We're back!"

"I knew you'd do it, Sora." Leon said. He gave a small smile, something he rarely ever did. Leon grunted as he stood up stiffly. Donald had managed to heal him with multiple Curing spells and potions.

Yuffie jumped on Sora and Iji, hugging them tight. "Yay!" she cheered.

Iji smiled, and then looked at Leon. Her face fell and she approached him. "Leon… I'm…"

Leon placed a hand on her head. "It's alright, okay? I understand."

Iji smiled once more. "Thanks…"

"I can't believe how you managed to take down the Wind Titan!" Hercules said excitedly. "Even my Dad has trouble dealing with him!"

Leon, Yuffie, Donald and Goofy all eyed Sora and Iji curiously.

"What Wind Titan?" asked Leon curiously. They had been inside the whole time, not knowing about the battle that had raged outside.

"Uh, Herc. Let's leave these guys for some private time, okay?" interrupted Phil with a nudge to the hero's leg. Luckily he was more perceptive than Hercules.

"But I want to know how she did that attack with those two other girls!" complained Hercules.

"Other girls?" asked Yuffie.

"Herc, I want you to run around the stadium five hundred times, got it?" Phil struggled to push Hercules out the door.

"Awww…" groaned the hero as they left.

"Alright, what happened?" demanded Leon as soon as he secured the door.

Sora scratched the back of his neck nervously and explained what had happened. "…And now Hades' is currently blowing off some steam outside somewhere…."

Suddenly all eyes turned to Iji.

The girl looked confused. "What? Sora just told me to fight with my Heart… that's all. Am I in trouble?"

Leon shook his head. "No, you're not in trouble, Iji. But who were those other girls?"

Iji chewed her bottom lip, afraid to answer. "I don't know how to describe them. But they've always been there, inside me. I didn't realise until Sora told me to fight with my Heart. They've been trying to guide me. They're the ones who told me that the darkness holds all my answers."

Leon frowned. "They told you that?"

Iji nodded and sighed. "I don't understand what they meant."

"Ahyuck, maybe they meant something else instead?" thought Goofy out loud.

"Maybe they did." agreed Leon, slightly surprised at Goofy's comment.

Iji gazed at the floor. "I need some time to think…" she whispered and left.

Sora stared after her as she rounded the corner. Yuffie poked Sora.

"You're not gonna let her go alone, are you?" She raised an eyebrow.

Sora ran and caught up with her. The two walked out towards the world gates. Iji looked into the sky, then down at Sora. She held out her hand to him.

"What's up?" asked Sora.

"Us." grinned Iji, grabbing his hand. She beat her wings strongly and Sora was lifted up into the sky. Iji and Sora flew up until they touched down on top of the gate.

They both froze when they saw another person up there. They then relaxed when they realised it was someone they knew; Cloud. The warrior's mysterious blue eyes snapped up to them when they landed. Cloud also relaxed his grip on his sword.

"Cloud!" exclaimed Iji. "I didn't know you'd be up here!"

"I just thought I'd come up here to think." said Cloud quietly. He regarded her wings. "Did you find your light?"

Iji smiled and sat down next to him. "Not yet, but Sora's helping me. Sora, have you met Cloud?"

Sora still stood up several feet away. "Yeah, in the prelims. Hey, Cloud, why weren't you in this cup?"

"I didn't want to interfere." He explained, confusing both Iji and Sora. "Nice battle, you two, by the way. I haven't seen something like that in a while."

Sora decided to sit down next to them at last. "You saw Iji's fight?"

"You helped too, Sora." Iji corrected him.

Cloud nodded. "It was… very interesting."

The three sat in silence for a while, all of them staring up at the heavens as the sun set, turning the sky a rainbow of colours.

"You know, Cloud," Sora side-glanced at the blonde swordsman. "I get the feeling you seem to know more about Iji than you should."

Iji turned to look at the two.

Cloud ignored Sora's eyes. "Maybe I do… Only because it reminds me of something I went through before, myself." Cloud sighed. "You see, although I am searching for my light, I am also running from my darkness. Many years ago, there was a warrior, quite like myself. He was superior to me in almost everything though. We always competed against each other, until we became deadly enemies. Just before the destruction of my planet, the warrior and I fought a battle, one that would decide our fates. During this match we both received a blessing, and a curse. We were given powers unimaginable, but also we were tied to each other's lives. I defeated that warrior and the monster he had become, or so I thought, until I came to this world and I felt his presence." He glanced at Iji. "You're fighting against yourself in a way. The light and darkness inside you struggle for control over you. But in the end, you're the one who decides what path you'll take." Cloud suddenly stood up and walked over to the edge. "I trust that you'll take the right path, Iji, and you too, Sora. Help guide Iji down her path." The warrior jumped off the edge and disappeared.

Sora and Iji thought about his words.

Minutes later, Iji felt her eyes droop as the day's exhaustion reached her.

*****

The light grew a little closer as Iji reached. "Almost… there…" she gritted her teeth and stretched further.

"So you chose the path to the light? Are you ignoring your past?" echoed the two voices.

Iji nodded as she continued to reach. "I choose my own path, even if you two are trying to guide me. I'll find my past on the way to the future. Now, come out!"

Two bodies appeared in the darkness and walked closer. They stared down at Iji.

"Explain yourselves." demanded Iji. "Why do you look like Sora and Riku?"

"I am a manifestation of Riku's light. My name is Talara." said the white-winged one with a small smile.

The black-winged one narrowed her eyes. "I'm Sora's manifestation of darkness, Menel."

"Then who am I?" asked Iji.

"You are but a shell, a vessel we use to exist on this plane." said Menel bitterly.

A horrible feeling of dejection filled Iji. "A shell…?"

Talara was more sympathetic. "But it is thanks to you that we can continue our lives in this beautiful place." She held Iji's hand. "There is still so much more we wish to tell you, but it is not yet the time."

Menel huffed. "I don't wish to…"

Talara ignored her. "You have a long path to go still. You will encounter many more things that will hurt you, but if you believe in yourself, you will make it. And we will always be here to support you, right Menel?"

The black-winged angel growled. "It would have been a lot easier if you had just picked the darkness instead. You would have gotten a lot more answers."

Iji shook her head. "I know, but I have to help Sora. But I won't forget the darkness. If I did, then that'd mean I'd lose you, wouldn't it?"

Menel looked shocked for a second. She grinned. "You had better not, I'm telling you that."

Talara also smiled at Iji. "It's time for us to leave, at least for now. Just, remember one thing. Our existence in you is one of co-operation. We will lend you our powers in exchange that you protect us, okay?"

"Okay." agreed Iji. The two suddenly vanished, leaving Iji to pursue her goal again. Iji stared at the light and her thoughts wandered onto a particular person. 'Riku...' she thought silently. 'I'm sorry I took your light. I didn't mean to… I miss you. I miss you a lot.'

*****

A while later, Sora felt a head rest on his shoulder. Iji had fallen asleep.

Sora smiled briefly then started to think back to the past events of today. His mind flashed back to the black-winged angel that looked almost like him. 'Why…?' he thought. 'Why did she look like me…?'

The wind whispered a familiar set of words in his ears. '"The darkness… The darkness in your Heart gives you pain. Please, allow me to ease it for you."'

Sora's eyes snapped open. "No… it couldn't be…?" He stared down at Iji who continued to slumber.

*****

The chamber was dark as Riku entered it. The chairs around the large stone table were empty, save one.

"Have you found the last Princess of Heart, child?" Maleficent asked from her place.

"No, not yet." Riku muttered. "I tried going back to the worlds where I got the other Princesses, but they have all disappeared. I think Iji had something to do with it when she opened up one of the Keyholes and the Heartless destroyed it."

"She may well have been a part of it. However, you may find it of significance to learn that Iji has deserted us." Maleficent held a sour look on her face.

Riku froze. "She's gone.... again?"

Maleficent answered with a wave of her staff. On the table a hologram materialized, showing Iji's battle with Sora.

Riku's eyes narrowed as he saw Sora hug Iji and the girl returned to her normal appearance. Riku turned to leave.

"There is still more." advised Maleficent. She waved her staff again and the scene changed to Iji's battle with the Wind Titan.

The vision flashed brightly. As the glow subsided, Riku felt his heart start to beat a thousand miles at once. Two girls stood beside Iji. Riku's heart gave a particularly large thump as he spotted the one with white wings.

"No way…" whispered Riku as the white-winged angel revealed herself. Her silver hair shone in the sunlight and her aquamarine eyes sparkled.

The vision ended just as they smiled.

Maleficent watched as Riku fled from the chamber.

'I understand now!' Riku thought as he ran. 'Why I've been so afraid of losing Iji! Inside her, she has my light! That's what she was doing in the Secret Place when I met her! She took my light!'

Riku panted heavily as he finally reached the front foyer. Tiredly, he slumped down onto the fountain's edge.

'But now I've lost her again, and to Sora of all people!' He glared into the water. 'Well, Sora, if this is how you want to play the game, then fine! Iji will be mine again, because if you ever want to see Kairi again, then you'll have to choose between them!' He smashed the surface of the water with a fist.


	30. Chapter 30

Disclaimer: Not mine, yay!

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**Chapter 28- The One-Winged Angel**

"Iji, it's morning." Sora poked Iji. "And I would like to get off from up here, before we boil to death."

Iji stretched like a cat and opened her eyes. The sun beat down mercilessly. Iji put a hand over her eyes to reduce the sun's glare. "Did I fall asleep?" she asked.

"Yeah." nodded Sora.

"Yuffie-chan appears!!" screamed Yuffie as she popped up behind Sora and Iji.

The pair nearly fell off the edge in fright.

"Yuffie!" yelled Sora, his heart pounding a million miles an hour. He took a deep breath and calmed down. "How'd you get up here?"

Yuffie grinned. "We ninjas have mysterious powers!" She wiggled her fingers and made spooky sounds.

"Do your 'mysterious powers' involve grappling hooks and ropes?" inquired Iji, pointing to the equipment that hung on the edge.

Sora stared at the ninja in disgust.

Yuffie laughed nervously and crept towards the equipment. "Um, anyways, I'm just going to um… Bub bai!" She jumped off the edge, sliding down on the rope.

Sora and Iji stared after her silently for a few seconds before bursting into laughter. Iji grabbed Sora's hand and they both floated down to the ground.

"Ahyuck, good morning!" Goofy said cheerfully as they landed.

"Where were you guys?!" demanded Donald. "I was up worrying half the night about you two!"

"Aw, you're such a wet blanket, Donald." Sora pouted. "And I can look after myself, okay?"

"Ah, phooey." grumbled the magician.

Iji started running to the foyer. "Hey guys, I'm just gonna go clean up okay?" She waved back at them. "I'll be back soon!"

"Iji!" yelled Donald.

*****

Iji splashed some cold water over her face. The locker room was empty. Carefully, Iji readjusted her silvery-blonde hair into a ponytail again as she watched herself in the mirror. Seeing her eyes, she sighed.

"I wonder if my eyes were always this colour?" she breathed in question. "Never mind… I better get back to Sora. We have a job to do."

The hallway was also empty. A bright light shone from the arena end. Iji glanced down it, and paused. Was she still half-asleep, or had she just seen somebody watching her? Iji frowned and walked up the hall to investigate. Outside, the arena was empty as well.

"This is getting strange…" she said quietly and stepped up onto the arena area.

Suddenly the magic barrier flared up. Iji's eyes widened in shock and she turned around to escape. No luck. The barrier held fast. A black feather floated down from the sky as it turned dark.

"Did you come to challenge me?" asked a deep voice.

Iji spun around. A man with long silver hair and piercingly bright aqua eyes stood in the middle of the arena. He seemed to tower over Iji. A long, thin sword hung by his side. The man gripped onto it and stared down his nose at Iji. A raven black wing waved gently in the breeze.

Iji stared at the wing until a name dawned in her brain. "Are you… Sephiroth?"

The one-winged angel smirked. "Yes. Now, did you come to challenge me or not?" he asked again.

Iji paced back until she ran up against the magic barrier. She could almost feel his power radiating off him. It scared her.

Sephiroth advanced towards Iji slowly until he stood directly in front of her. There was nowhere for Iji to go. She trembled as he reached out a hand and stroked her white wing. "I think I saw you once long ago, when I was lost in the darkness."

"What?" Iji blinked and looked up into his eyes. She could see a tired sadness mingled within the hatred and anger in his eyes.

The look in his eyes lasted only a brief second. He released her wing and stepped back. There was a sound of sliding metal as he unsheathed his sword and held it out in front of him. "Are you going to fight me or not, girl?"

"Why?" asked Iji, confused.

Sephiroth's frowned harshly. "Everyone who comes wants to fight me, to kill me, all because of what I am."

"But, I don't want to fight you. I came here because I thought I saw you watching me." explained Iji.

For a moment, Iji was sure she saw Sephiroth's face look disbelieving and his mouth twitch in a smile. It disappeared as Sephiroth's eyes became as cold as ice. "Well, it seems your curiosity was a mistake then. Everyone who comes ends up dying anyway. Now prepare for it!" Light flashed off his sword and he leapt at her.

Iji yelped and held her hands out above her. Her Star Cutters appeared in her hand, just in time to deflect the attack.

"That's more like it," Sephiroth grinned. "Now we're getting serious." He slashed at her again.

Iji rolled to the side, and then leapt back as Sephiroth used his sword almost like a whip. Sweat poured down Iji's forehead as she tried to keep up with the warrior's speed. Left, right, right again, left, up. She faltered and in a brief few seconds received a handful of cuts across her body. 'I need to attack back!' thought Iji furiously. 'Or else I'm in trouble!' In between his attacks, Iji saw a gap. She jumped for it and raked Sephiroth along his sword hand.

"Not good enough!" he yelled back and cut her across the back.

Iji landed uneasily on her knees and twisted around, retaliating and catching Sephiroth on the shin. His boot sliced open and a small trickled of blood ran down. He leapt back.

"Very good, girl. I haven't had anybody cut me in quite a while. You're not anywhere near my level though, and I'm growing tired with you." He raised his sword above his head and rammed down with it to stab Iji.

'No…' thought Iji wildly. Everything slowed down before her as she saw the blade. 'I can't die. Not now, not like this! I still have so much to do and so much to find out about my past. This can't be the end!'

Sephiroth's sword fell to the ground with a clatter. "What is this?" growled the warrior and picked up his sword. He tried to attack again and his sword bounced off.

Iji stood up. The invisible shield around her grew, pushing Sephiroth back.

"What are you doing, girl? Hiding behind this like a coward? Fight me!" Sephiroth attacked the shield again, trying to break it down.

"I don't want to fight you. I don't see the point…" Iji trailed off and stared at him. "Are you afraid of letting anyone getting close to you? Is that why you do what you do? Are you afraid of becoming friends with someone, someone like me?"

Sephiroth slashed at the shield. "I am not afraid! My name is Sephiroth, I am a trained solider! Anybody who approaches me must die, no matter what reason!" He roared at the barrier as he put his strength into an attack. His sword sliced through the shield, making it fade away.

Iji fell forward onto her stomach. Pain shot through her body. Sephiroth had put his sword through her white wing. Red liquid dripped down, staining the feathers. Iji looked up from the ground to him. As her mind clouded over, Sephiroth's face melted into one she knew well. 'Riku…' she thought. 'I wish you were here… So I could say goodbye.'

'Please hang on, Iji!' pleaded Talara in her mind.

'If you die, I'll never forgive you!' scolded Menel.

The sword came down again. Iji cried out. There was a clang of metal as Sephiroth's sword was deflected.

"You'll leave her alone."

Iji gasped happily. "Cloud!"

"Yeah, glad to see you too." The blonde swordsman cringed as he held his ground with the one-winged angel. He pushed against Sehpiroth's sword with his own. He glanced back at Iji. "I broke down the barrier. Now get going!" Golden sparks of electricity jumped around his body as a lone bat wing burst from his back.

"Thank you, Cloud." Iji coughed as she painfully rose to her legs and limped towards the foyer. She looked back at the two warriors, feeling the hatred and power that raged between them.

Sephiroth shot Iji a quick look. Iji paused. The look on his face seemed to say 'I'm sorry.'

With a burst of power, Cloud shoved Sephiroth back. He panted and held his sword out in preparation. "So we meet at last…" he growled.

"I've been searching for you too." he replied.

"As long as you exist, I cannot wake from this nightmare… you are my darkness."

"If that is so, then I will draw you into the darkness. Into the nightmare that deprives you of light from which you can never awaken."

The two leapt forward at each other, their swords held high. Sparks of metal flew as they exchanged blows.

"Good luck," Iji breathed, hoping them both the best. She left them to their battle and limped out into the foyer and to the entrance hall. She collapsed when she finally reached the sunlight. The world around her throbbed and turned dark.

"Iji? Iji!" cried a voice.

*****

"Hey Iji! Wake up!"

Iji opened her eyes. Yuffie stood over her. "What happened?" She looked around the locker room. Everything seemed unreal and dream-like. 'Was it just a dream?' she thought.

"Man, you got beat up pretty bad! It took us pretty much all day and night to get you patched up! And you were screaming in pain the whole time and there was blood everywhere and…" Yuffie stopped herself and looked embarrassed. "Well, never mind. At least you're okay now!" She grinned.

"Come on, already! We've gotta get going!" yelled Donald angrily, coming into the locker room and pushing Iji onto her feet. "Move it, move it!" he grumbled, ushering her out towards the world gate. "We're supposed to be locking more Keyholes!"

"Iji! You're awake! I was really worried!" Sora jumped at Iji and inspected her, making sure she was totally okay.

Iji smiled. "Yeah, though I feel a bit stiff."

"Great!" Sora gave her his trademark grin. "Well, let's get to it!"

Yuffie sidled up to where Leon stood at the entrance to the lobby, watching as the four of them boarded onto the gummi ship and sped off into space.

"You think they'll be okay, Squall?" Yuffie asked.

Leon growled quietly at the sound of his other name, but chose to ignore it. "Yeah, I'm sure of it."

"It's a miracle she survived her encounter with Sephiroth really." Yuffie commented. "Cloud came in at just the right moment." She glanced back down towards the arena. "You think he's really gone?"

"I don't know. But I'm pretty sure that it would be impossible to truly defeat someone as strong as that." Leon replied after a few moments of thought.

Yuffie sighed and plopped herself down on the stairs. "Then Iji really was lucky."

Leon joined her. "Iji's powers keep growing with every new day, it seems. If Sora gets in trouble, I'm sure he can count on her to get him out of it."

"But… She's still torn between light and darkness." Yuffie placed her hands over her heart. "She's still vulnerable to the feelings in her Heart. It may cloud her judgements."

Surprised by her comment, Leon turned to her. Yuffie blinked and looked up at him. She smiled softly.

"There's a hidden meaning to what you just said, isn't there?" Leon raised an eyebrow.

Yuffie's smile turned into a smirk. "You never know." she whispered. She leaned over and placed a kiss on Leon's cheek.

Leon blushed embarrassedly.


	31. Chapter 31

Disclaimer: Not mine, yay!

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Chapter 29- The ****Ocean**** of ****Atlantica**

Iji pointed excitedly at a blue blob in the distance. "Guys! Look over there! I think I see a world!"

Donald tapped the ship's navigator and a zoom in popped up. "Atlantica… A world completely covered by water."

"But I don't know how to swim!" Iji glanced over the magician's shoulder to the scale hologram. "In fact, I don't think I've ever even seen so much water before!"

Sora joined her at observing it. "Donald, if the whole world's made up of an ocean, then how are we supposed to breathe exactly?"

"Gwarsh, that would be hard to do." remarked Goofy absently.

Donald brandished his staff. "No problems! I'll use my magic to transform us, just like last time, but I'll make sure we can breathe too."

Goofy, Iji and Sora followed Donald to the air lock. The white duck whipped his staff around and a flash of magic blinded them.

"Iji, you can open your eyes you know." Sora poked the girl.

Iji opened her eyes and blinked several times. The cool sensation of water swirled around her body. "Sora?" Iji asked.

"Donald's magic worked!" Sora grinned at her.

Iji looked around her. Everyone had changed. Sora's legs had changed into a blue dolphin's tail. Behind her, Donald had changed into a half-octopus and Goofy into a strange looking turtle. Iji was afraid to look down at herself, but did so out of curiosity. Her legs were gone; turned into a white and brown striped tail with large billowing fins on the end. Her shirt had transformed into one made out of tiny mother-of-pearl discs that covered her chest. Small shells hung down on pieces of string from the edge. A strange feeling made Iji twist her head around to glance at her wings. She gasped.

"What are these?! Where are my wings?!" she cried out in panic. Her wings had been replaced by a pair of fan-like fins that slowly waved in the current.

"It's okay! It's okay!" Sora calmed her down. "You're part Lionfish, they have those."

"You look mighty pretty, Iji." Goofy remarked, trying to swim.

"Yeah," agreed Sora.

Iji blushed. Suddenly Iji looked up. Something was heading their way.

"Come on, Sebastian!" yelled a voice.

"Ariel, wait! Slow down! Don't leave me behind!" yelled another voice.

Around a corner, a mermaid with fiery red hair emerged. Trailing her was a crab the same colour as her hair, and a small yellow and blue fish. The mermaid wasn't watching where she was going. Her head turned around just in time as she crashed into Sora.

"Watch out, Ariel!" called the crab.

The mermaid gave a frightened gasp and jumped back into an attack position.

"Sora, are you okay?" Iji clumsily made her way over to Sora and helped him up.

Sora rubbed the bump on his head gingerly. "Yeah, I think so."

The mermaid watched them and dropped her stance. "Oh, relax, Sebastian. They don't look like one of them. Right, Flounder?" She looked over at the fish.

Flounder peeped out from Ariel's hair. He studied them carefully. "I don't know. There's something weird about them."

Sora and Iji exchanged nervous glances. Sora very slowly sunk towards the bottom of the ocean. Iji pulled him up, but sent herself down in the process. Goofy and Donald floated past aimlessly, being blown about in the currents.

Ariel raised an eyebrow at them all. She flicked her tail gracefully and swam around them, studying them. "They do seem… a little different." She swam around in circles. "Where are you from?" she asked.

The four stayed silent, scared of giving up any information. Iji nudged Sora in the ribs.

"Uh, we're from kind of far away. And we're not really used to these waters. Er, hahaha…" Sora laughed tensely.

Ariel smiled and giggled. "Oh, I see. Well, in that case… Sebastian can show you how we swim around here."

The crab frowned. "Ariel, King Triton will not like this!"

Ariel pouted at Sebastian, begging him to give in. The crab sighed and shrugged. "Alright, I'll teach them." Sebastian instructed the four in swimming, getting the four used to swimming by getting them to chase Flounder.

"I got you!" said Sora proudly as he caught the fish in his hands.

Ariel clapped. "Wow, you're all very fast learners!"

Flounder swiftly slipped out of Sora's hands and blew a raspberry, daring for them to come and catch him again. The yellow fish turned to start swimming. His mouth hung open in fear as he spotted something heading towards them all. "Ariel! It's them! We have to get away from here!"

A school of green Divers were streamlining their way forward. Quickly, Ariel snatched up Flounder and Sebastian and made a run for it. She looked back at her new friends. "Aren't you coming?!" she yelled.

Iji smiled at Ariel. "You get out of here! We'll take care of them!" The mermaid obeyed and swam out of sight. Iji looked at Sora. "About time we got to this again together, huh?"

Sora grinned back. "Yeah, I've missed it."

The two summoned their weapons and tackled the Heartless head-on.

"Come on, we've gotta help too!" Donald pushed Goofy into the fray and started firing random spells at the divers.

Iji delivered a final blow with her Star Cutters, finishing off the last Heartless. "That was a pretty small group." Iji remarked.

Sora nodded in agreement. "Strange that there wasn't a bigger group…"

"Wow! You guys are really strong!" exclaimed Ariel, coming back into view. "You saved me from those creatures!" Suddenly the red haired mermaid gasped and pointed behind Sora and Iji. Another group of Heartless were retreating away down the canyons. "We have to go after them! They might be heading to the palace!"

"Ahyuck, let's go then!" agreed Goofy.

*****

"Thirty-six!" yelled Iji as she stabbed a jellyfish Heartless. They were still in the tunnels leading towards the palace.

"How the hell did you get that many, Iji?! I only have twenty-two!" demanded Sora.

Iji winked playfully at the Keyblade Master. "I told ya I'm getting better."

Ariel giggled. "She's faster than you, Sora! We girls are quicker than you guys! Now watch this! Thunder!" Ariel sent down a rain of lightning bolts, defeating a whole horde of jellyfish that had just burst out of a larger one. "Now I have thirty-eight!"

"Hey, magic's not fair! I don't know any!" complained Iji, upping her pace and slashing down a line of Heartless. "Forty-three!"

Donald and Goofy exchanged worried looks.

"I can't see how they can be taking this so lightly." muttered Donald grumpily, secretly taking note when he defeated his twentieth Heartless.

The group emerged out of the tunnels into an area with carefully carved stone pillars.

"We're almost to the palace." Ariel informed them.

Slowly they made their way forward, fighting their way through schools of jellyfish and divers.

"I'm getting really tired…" panted Sora.

"Me too," Iji admitted meekly.

"There's just so many of them!" exclaimed Ariel. "Quick, let's make a run for it to the palace!" She kicked her tail and sped to the palace with the others trailing behind. A throng of divers chased after them, their spears ready for the attack. Ariel led her friends into a hallway made out of coral pillars, the Heartless were catching up behind them. Inches from their fins, a powerful bolt of lightning crashed into the Heartless, defeating them instantly. Ariel looked up and happiness spread over her face. "Daddy!"

A merman with a blue tail like Ariel's and a majestic grey beard held a golden trident in his large hands. Upon his head was a golden crown. "That was too close! As long as I have my trident, I will not tolerate these creatures inside this palace!" He stared down at Ariel, a look of anger and worry mingled on his face. "Oh, Ariel! When will you listen? It's dangerous out there!" Ariel pouted. The merman ignored them and shifted his glance to Sora. "Strange creatures lurk outside…"

Sora frowned slightly as his remark.

"Behold!" pronounced Sebastian, emerging next to the merman. "You swim before the ruler of the seas: His Majesty, King Triton!"

King Triton continued to glare down at Sora. "And who are they?"

Ariel smiled and waved an arm out at her friends. "They helped us fight off those creatures, Daddy."

Ariel's father raised an eyebrow in thought. "They don't look familiar…"

"Um," Sora came forward. "We're from an ocean very far away."

Goofy floated past. "Yup! We're here to find the Keyhole!"

King Triton's face twitched. "The what?!"

"What's that?" asked Ariel, her curiosity suddenly taking hold.

Goofy laughed. "Ahyuck, well, it's a-"

"There's no such thing!" boomed King Triton angrily. He clutched onto his trident harder. "Certainly not here!" Ariel went to speak, but he silenced her. "Ariel, not another word! You are not to leave the palace. Is that clear?"

Ariel pouted crossly and swam off angrily.

"Ariel, wait!" called Iji and went after her, Sora, Donald and Goofy not too far behind.

King Triton sank into his throne after they left. He shook his head sadly. "Perhaps I'm being too strict… I'm just concerned for her safety."

"Of course, You Majesty." reassured Sebastian. "But I must admit; now I'm quite curious about this Keyhole." He stared down the hallway wistfully.

The king coughed. "That need not concern you, Sebastian." He needed to change the subject, quickly. "Have you anything to report?"

Sebastian's attention snapped back. "Ah, er, yes. Just as you suspected, Your Majesty, they seem to be coming from Ursula's grotto."

King Triton smashed a fist down on the armrest. "I knew it! That sea witch is up to no good again! I see exile from the palace has taught her nothing."

The crab nodded. "Yes, she poses serious danger."

"And I told you to keep Ariel away from such danger, did I not?" Triton eyed Sebastian.

Sebastian backed up fearfully. "Your Majesty, I, uh…"


	32. Chapter 32

Disclaimer: Not mine, yay!

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**Chapter 30- Mournful Melody**

"Look at all the wonderful things Flounder and I have collected. I think its all from the outside world. Someday, I'm going to see what's out there. I want to see other worlds." Ariel looked lovingly at her collection of old objects. She lightly touched a few of the items, a pile of cutlery, a hairbrush, a small pencil tin… Ariel sighed. "Does that sound strange?" she asked Sora and the others.

Sora blinked. "No, not at all... I used to feel the same way."

"Used to?" Ariel repeated curiously.

"Uh, I mean I still do." Sora corrected himself quickly.

Ariel's frown melted into a smile. "Hey, why don't we try looking for that Keyhole you were talking about?"

"But your father said…"

The mermaid pouted. "Oh, he treats me like a little girl. He never lets me do anything. He just… He just doesn't understand. Anyway, let's get going."

Sora started forth after her then stopped. Iji was staring down at something, not moving. He waved Donald and Goofy on and mouthed an 'I'll be there soon' at them.

Iji stared at the relief in the wall. She turned around to Sora. "It's the Keyhole, Sora."

The Keyblade Master's head jerked back slightly in shock. "What? Can you reveal it for me then?"

Iji put a hand up onto the relief as Sora held up his Keyblade. "Reveal yourself." It glowed blue then faded, revealing nothing.

"What happened?" inquired Sora, letting his arm drop.

"It won't let me." Iji frowned. "I don't know why."

Sora inspected the relief. "It kind of looks like something used to belong here, but was taken away. Maybe we need to find it?"

Iji nodded and floated down to start swimming out of the grotto. On the way, one of her wings hit a music box. The box sprang to life and started to churn out a mournful melody. Iji's eyes glazed over as the melody swallowed her.

"Come on, Iji. Let's get-" Sora grabbed Iji's hand and froze. His eyes became clouded over with a vision. "What is this?" asked Sora. The vision became more vivid and Sora closed his eyes.

*****

When Sora opened his eyes, he saw he was in a large field surrounded by flowers. But there was something wrong with it. The flowers were blackened and shrivelled. The grass was brown and wilting.

"My poor field…" cried a soft familiar voice.

Sora whipped around and saw Iji. She was different though. Her wings were gone and her eyes were both a loving shade of magenta. She was dressed plainly in a greying white dress and faded pink shirt that lay under the dress. She wore no shoes and her hair was messy. She was bent over, cradling a flower in her cupped hands. Sora approached her. "Iji? Where are we?"

Iji ignored him and continued to hold the flower. "Poor little things… What could be happening to you? Maybe this will make you feel better?" She reached into a bag beside her and pulled out a music box and turned the handle. A mournful melody churned out.

"Such a small human… You must be one of those children we hear so much about from the Hearts of the older humans." whispered a cold voice.

Iji turned around, startled. Before her was a Shadow Heartless. It stared up at her and twitched its antenna.

"Iji! Quick! Run away!" Sora tried to attack the shadow with his Keyblade, but the weapon passed right through it. Sora attacked it several times, but with the same results.

Iji squatted down to the Heartless' height. "Who are you?" she asked, unaware of what it was capable of.

"We are the darkness, born from inside the Hearts of those who fight over the Great Light. We are the Heartless." explained the creature without speaking. Its voice echoed up from the dying ground.

"When we lived close to the Great Light, Mamma and Dada disappeared. People came and destroyed our village." Iji stared at the horizon towards a brilliant light in the distance. She looked back down at the Heartless. "Where is Mamma and Dada now? Do you know?"

"Their bodies were destroyed most probably. It is what you humans call 'death'. Their Hearts and Souls live on, but not on this plane. They no longer exist here." The Heartless twitched an antenna.

"I had-I had always hoped that Mamma and Dada would come back one day… But they aren't, are they? I'm all alone." A solitary tear fell down Iji's cheek as she fell to her knees.

The Heartless put a clawed hand on her shoulder. "We could make the loneliness end for you, if you allow us."

"Don't trust it, Iji!" yelled Sora, then realised Iji couldn't hear him.

Iji wiped her tear away. "I want it to end. All of it."

Sora could only watch in horror as the Heartless stuck its claws through her chest. Blood dripped onto the ground. Iji's eyes went blank and a light smile appeared on her face as she fell forward onto the ground. "Mamma… Dada…"

"Iji!" Sora cried out, reaching for her.

The Heartless held the shining Heart in its claws. "A child's Heart is a very pure thing indeed. Very satisfying… We shall have to take more of them." The Heartless looked down at Iji's bleeding body and paused. "The child's body should have disappeared by now. How come it is still here?" The Heartless looked back at the Heart in its claws. "And why hasn't this Heart become one of us yet?"

A bloodied hand reached up from the withered grass and latched onto the Heartless's arm.

"The time of the Great Light is over…" Iji whispered as she shakily looked up and grinned.

The melody from the music box faded away…

*****

Sora's eyes flew open with a gasp. He clutched at his chest as he tried to breathe. He caught his breath back and looked around for Iji. She was still holding his hand tightly, staring into nowhere with wide eyes full of fear.


	33. Chapter 33

Disclaimer: Not mine, yay!

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**Chapter 31- Complicated Conversations**

Iji collapsed into Sora's arms, sobbing. Her mind was racing with thoughts. 'Now I know… I don't have a Heart. I am a shell, just as Menel told me.'

Sora was still shocked by what he had seen. Was that what had truly happened to Iji once before? Had she really died at the hands of a Heartless and somehow come back to life? It didn't make any sense. Sora was puzzled beyond belief.

"Ahem…?" coughed Donald, floating at the entrance to the grotto. "Are we gonna go or not?"

"We better get going… We have a job to do, don't we?" whispered Sora to Iji and slowly led her outside.

*****

The rest of the trip in Atlantica flew by like some kind of warped dream for Iji. Even the first battle with Ursula seemed otherworldly and unreal. As much as she tried, she couldn't shake the frightening visions of the Heartless's hand stuck through her body and herself smiling as blood covered her body.

"Iji! Watch out!" yelled Sora, pushing her out of the way as Ursula spat a series of exploding bubbles out of her enlarged mouth. Sora shook Iji hard. "You gotta snap out of it Iji! You gotta help us fight! There's always time later, okay?"

"She was right… I am but an empty shell…" Iji ignored him.

Sora grimaced as he was grazed by one of the bubble's explosions. He had to get Iji fighting. He stared into Iji's eyes. "Iji, why is there someone that looks like me inside you? Why do you have my darkness?"

Iji looked at Sora suddenly, shocked out of her daze by his questions. "Sora…?"

"Finally! Please, Iji, you gotta help us to fight!" pleaded Sora.

"Fight? Who are we… Oh…" Iji noticed the larger-than-life Ursula.

Sora grinned. "I've hit her forty-two times. Think you can catch up?"

Iji grinned back. "I'll beat your record and then some!"

*****

The trident glowed as it levitated above Ariel's hands. The relief glowed in response and a glass block appeared, revealing the Keyhole. Sora locked it with ease and watched as it shimmered away into the water.

"Tell me, Sora." Ariel said softly. "Your world… What's it like?"

Sora scratched the back of his neck. "Oh, about that… Sorry for lying to you."

The mermaid gave a small giggle. "It's okay. Besides, if you can travel to other worlds, then maybe I can too! Oh, so many places I want to see! I know I'll get there someday. I'll find a way somehow. I'm sure of it." She swam slowly up towards the light that shone down from the top of her grotto.

*****

Iji gazed out of the gummi ship's window. She sat on a long cushioned seat that served as a makeshift bed and drew her knees up to her chin. Sora entered the back room where she was and placed a blanket around her shoulders.

"I'm sorry I had to ask that before. But I had to snap you out of it somehow." he explained slowly.

"It's okay." replied Iji. "It's just that I didn't know you knew."

"When I saw that girl, I just knew. How she looked, and then I remembered back to when we first met… It just clicked together." Sora gave a brief smile.

Iji suddenly frowned, as if something was distracting her. She turned to Sora. "Menel wants to talk to you." Iji's head fell forward for a second as if she had passed out.

"Menel?" asked Sora worriedly.

Iji stirred and came to. She lifted her head up and smirked at Sora. Iji's white eye had become completely black. The girl stretched. "It's good to feel alive, isn't it, other half?"

Sora blinked. "You're Menel?"

The girl tapped Sora on the nose and winked. "Bingo."

"And you're the darkness that Iji took out of me all those years ago?"

"Yep," Menel nodded. "And maybe it was for the best too. Anyway, I just wanted to speak to you about Iji and her past memories and that."

"Uh, okay. But firstly, I just want to know why Iji thinks she is an empty shell. Did you say something to her?" Sora frowned at Menel suspiciously.

Menel battered her eyelashes and pouted playfully. "You wound me with that comment, Sora dearest. But yes, I told her that. But only because it's the truth that Talara and I are residing within her. A kind of replacement Heart, you know? Since she lost her own, as you well know already."

"What happened to her after what we saw in that vision?" Sora asked.

Menel shrugged casually. "How am I supposed to know?"

"Yeah, that's some great help from you…" said Sora sarcastically.

"Ooh, now there's some of the Sora I know and love." teased Menel. Suddenly she growled. "No, I'm having fun with him! Leave me alone… Oh fine then!" She looked sourly at Sora. "The 'almighty' Talara wants to speak to you."

Again Iji's head fell forward and came back up. This time both her pupils where white.

"Er, Talara?" Sora was starting to get confused.

She smiled. "Yes, that's me."

"And you'd be… Riku's light I'm guessing." Sora winced as he said it.

"You're right again." Talara smiled. "I just want to thank you so very much for helping Iji through all this." She paused as she noticed that Sora looked sad. "Are you alright, Sora?"

"Uh, I guess. It's just that…"

"I'm Riku's light?"

Sora nodded. "If he still had you, then maybe he wouldn't have gone off into the darkness."

Talara patted Sora's shoulder. "I know, but it's destiny in a way. And there must always be balance."

"Will you two ever come back to us?" asked Sora suddenly.

Talara smiled. "When all this is over, then of course we'll come back and complete you."

"But then… what about Iji?"

She was silent for a few seconds. "I don't know." she finally answered. "Maybe she'll find her own Heart again. Or maybe she'll just… disappear. We'll only know when the time comes. I have to leave now, but please Sora." She lifted Sora's chin up to meet her eyes. "Stay strong. Not just for Iji, but for everyone else as well, including yourself." Her hand dropped and Iji fell to the side onto the bed, sleeping softly.

Sora sadly smiled at Iji. "I don't want you to disappear at the end, Iji. You're too good a friend for us to be simply cut off from each other. I'll make sure you stay with us. When all of this is over, you can come back with me, Kairi, and Riku and we can all live on Destiny Islands together. Everything will be like it was supposed to." Switching off the light, he went back to the cockpit to fill Donald and Goofy in.

*****

"Gwarsh, Sora. This is all getting pretty confusing to me." Goofy said with a dazed look on his face.

"Same with me." admitted Donald.

"Tell me about it…" agreed Sora. "All that vision did was give me more questions to ask."

A beeping sound alerted Goofy and he checked the radar. "Uh, a big ship is catching up to us!"

Donald checked it as well and looked out the window just as a large wooden ship cruised past. "That's a pirate ship!" he exclaimed.

The ship turned around to face the smaller gummi ship. Sora gave a sharp yell. "It's coming right at us!"

The pirate ship slammed into the gummi ship, sending the whole ship to go dark.


	34. Chapter 34

Disclaimer: Not mine, yay!

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**Chapter 32- The Night of Neverland**

Sora awoke to find himself on the deck of the pirate ship. It was dark. Carefully, he got up and looked around. The ship was eerily quiet apart from the soft sounds of the ship creaking in the sway of the sea. 'Where is everyone?' Sora asked himself. 'Where's Donald, and Goofy… and Iji! I gotta find her!'

"I didn't think you'd come, Sora."

Sora gasped.

Riku smirked. "Good to see you again."

Sora glared at him. "Where are Donald and Goofy? And where is Iji?! Tell me right now, Riku!"

The silver haired boy ignored the question. "Are they really that important to you? More important than old friends? Instead of worrying about them, you should be asking… about her."

Riku moved aside to reveal a red haired girl.

"Kairi!" shouted Sora happily at the sight of her.

Riku stepped back in front of her. "That's right. While you were off goofing around, I finally found her."

Sora went to run up the stairs, only to discover a group of pirate-looking Heartless guarding the way. He pulled out his Keyblade.

A man in a red overcoat appeared on the deck above. He waved the hook attached to the end of his hand at him. "Not so fast! There will be no shenanigans aboard my vessel, boy!"

Sora growled in frustration and turned back to Riku. "Riku, why are you siding with the Heartless?"

The older boy smirked again. "The Heartless obey me now, Sora… Now I have nothing to fear."

Sora exploded with anger. Riku had no idea what was happening to him. "You're stupid! Sooner or later they'll swallow your Heart!"

Riku laughed back at him. "Not a chance. My Heart's too strong!"

"Riku…" Sora said. There was pity in his tone.

Riku continued with his speech. "I've picked up a few other tricks as well. Like this, for instance…" Riku's hand glowed green as he waved it over the floor. A dark hole appeared in the deck and a shadow slowly ascended from within it. The creature looked up with glowing yellow eyes.

Sora stepped back in disbelief. It looked just like him, a complete opposite, a Shadow Sora.

Riku smiled at Sora slyly. "You thought you had her all to yourself, didn't you, Sora?"

Sora blinked. "Huh? Who?"

Riku glared at him. "Iji, you idiot! Well not anymore. She's back with me again."

Sora clenched his fist. "You can't do that! I'm supposed to be helping her find her memories!"

Riku turned his back to his former friend. "You have a choice, Sora. You can either choose Iji, or you can choose Kairi. Here, have some time to think about it."

A trap door opened below Sora, sending him plummeting downwards.

Riku picked up Kairi and headed towards a door. He glanced at Captain Hook. "Let's get under way, already. And keep Sora away from Iji and Kairi until we're ready to land." He left the Captain to his own devices.

The pirate growled as the door shut. "That scurvy brat thinks he can order me around!"

Behind him, a plump man in a white and blue approached. "What shall we do, Cap'n Hook?"

"Nothing!" Hook threw his arms up into the air. "The hold is crawling with Heartless! Let them keep an eye on the brats."

"Um, but Cap'n, you-know-who is also down…"

Hook put his hook up to stop him and cupped his only hand to his ear. "Shh… Did you head Smee? Oh, that dreadful sound!"

Smee went over to the side to peer into the ocean. "No, Cap'n."

The Captain grabbed Smee up and shook him. "Are you quite sure? Did I imagine it? Oh, my poor nerves!" He dropped Smee onto the floor and went off to his cabin.

*****

"Let me out of here!" yelled a girl's voice.

Riku touched the cabin door, feeling the beating of fists that hit themselves against it. "Iji?"

The noise stopped. "Riku…? Is that you? Oh, please say it's you!"

"Yeah, it's me. Can I come in?"

"Yes, of course! I really want to see you."

Slowly, Riku opened the door and entered. Iji was standing in the middle of the room. She was soaked in sweat from hammering on the door so hard. Her silvery-blonde hair had lost its hair band, leaving her hair hanging limply around her. "You look a mess," commented Riku.

Iji laughed and smiled at him. "Well, duh! I've been trying to get out of here for ages now!"

Riku felt his heart give a flutter. He didn't care what she looked like at the moment. All that mattered was that they were together again. Riku went over to one of the hammocks and sat down on it. Iji joined him, sitting down and resting her head on his shoulder.

"I missed you a lot." sighed Iji. "I miss our adventures and our sparring matches together."

Riku smiled. "Me too,"

Iji's face fell. "Riku… Why'd you make me go back to Hollow Bastion?"

"I just… didn't want you to get more hurt." Riku thought back to the memories of the Keyhole at the Beast's castle. "You turned to the darkness, just like me. I couldn't stand the sight of you going through what I'm going through. It's too painful. I want you to stay as you."

Iji stayed quiet for a few minutes. She thought about what she had said about not trusting Riku ever again and shook her head. 'No… he is a good guy. I was just angry then. I can trust him.' Iji glanced up at Riku. He smiled and she felt her heart flutter. Her thoughts turned to Sora. What would he say if he knew how much she loved Riku? Sora was a friend though, nothing more, and Iji was sure that he loved Kairi. He had helped to get back a few of her memories, but she still knew that if she looked back into the darkness, more answers would be given than the ones given in the light.

Riku placed his hand in Iji's. He stared deep into her eyes. "I wish that we weren't on different sides. I wish everything could be the same and that we could be together... I… I love you, Iji."

Iji felt herself be drawn into Riku's eyes. They were so full of love and kindness. Other people may not have been able to see it, but she could. She had a decision to make. She could either be with the one she loved, or she could leave him behind and never see him again. The heartbreak was too much. She smiled at Riku and drew closer to him. "I'll grant your wish. Because… I love you too."

Before Riku knew what was happening, he felt a pair of passionate warm lips place themselves on his own. The vision of Iji dying at the hands of a Heartless passed through his mind. And then… something else.

*****

He was standing in a land surrounded by darkness. There was chaos all around him, but he couldn't see it. Only hear the sorrowful cries of people dying. The ground was wet and smelt of blood. Above him there was a ball of light, a miniature sun that glowed with the essence of light itself. There was a sound of a clinking chain. Riku looked behind him. There, Iji stared up at the light. She shaded her magenta eyes from the glare as if it burned her. In her hand was the Keyblade.

"No, don't do it! It's all we have left!" sobbed a child's voice from the darkness. "Don't destroy the Great Light!"

"Our suffering must end." Iji replied with blank eyes. She stuck the Keyblade into the light.

Hundreds of children's voice cried in grief. The Great Light broke apart and disintegrated. Shards of the light flew out into the darkness. Iji stood in the middle, her head bowed.

"The Heartless have won. I can go in peace now." She looked up again to where the Great Light had been. Her eyes slowly turned into black pits of emptiness. A pair of raven coloured wings sprouted from her back. As she spread them, a multitude of small hands grasped onto them.

"Not yet. You still have one last thing to do."

*****

'Iji! No!' shouted Talara in Iji's mind. 'Don't make the light your enemy! Hold onto me!'

'I can't hold it back… I'm sorry…' panted Menel in a strained voice.

'I want to be with Riku… I have to follow him down his path. And maybe I can even bring him back.'

Riku ended the kiss abruptly and opened his eyes. He immediately looked straight into Iji's. They were black. Even the whites of her eyeballs had become dark. Tiny flecks of white were all that was left in one of her eyes. Feathers brushed against Riku's arm, causing him to look at Iji's wings. They too had become completely black apart from one solitary white feather at the tip of her wing.

Riku pushed her away, fear and shock overcoming him. "Iji?! What did you do?"

Iji smiled at him. "I'm coming with you. We don't have to be alone any longer." Exhaustedly, she fell into his lap.

Tears ran down Riku's face and he ran his fingers through her hair. It felt like silk in his hand. "You didn't have to, not for me." Gently, Riku picked Iji up in his arms and took her up to the Captain's study via ladder. Just as he opened the trapdoor, there were sounds of yelling in the next cabin. "Sora…" Riku growled.

Captain Hook confronted Riku as he emerged. "So? What about Wendy?"

Riku shook his head and placed Iji on the bed.

"What? So Wendy's not one of the chosen ones?" Hook looked irritated.

Riku pushed some hair out of his face. "There are seven, supposedly, and Maleficent says she's not one of them. Hoist anchor, ASAP. Leave all the dead weight behind, including Wendy."

"After all the trouble of capturing her? And why those seven? What is Maleficent planning anyway?"

"Who knows." He shrugged. "As long as it means getting Kairi's heart back, I couldn't care less."

"You're wasting your time!" Hook sneered. "The Heartless have devoured that girl's Heart. I'll stake me other hand it's lost forever."

"I will find it no matter what." Riku glared.

Smee snuck up to whisper in his captain's ear. The pirate yelled furiously.

"Blast that Peter Pan! All right then,! Bring the hostage to me cabin, Smee! Hop to it!" Hook raised an eyebrow at Iji. "What about her?"

"I'm keeping an eye on her." Riku reassured him. He bent down and roused Iji. "Let's go outside. We can look at the stars."

*****

Peter Pan blinked as Tinkerbell whirled around his head. "What is it, Tink?"

The Pixie flew up to a grate above the kitchen and pointed.

"Peter? Peter Pan?" asked a curious voice. A brunette appeared at the grate.

"Wendy!" exclaimed Peter happily.

Wendy looked up briefly then back down. There was fear on her face. "Please hurry! The pirates are coming!"

"What?! I'll be right up there! Just hold on!" Peter flew back to the door.

Sora stepped forward so Wendy could see him. "Wendy?"

Wendy noticed him. "Yes?"

"Are there any other girls up there with you?" Sora asked.

"Oh, why yes, there's one. She has red hair. But she seems to be asleep. She hasn't budged an inch." she explained while glancing beside her. "I did hear some voices from the next cabin before too, but now they're gone."

Suddenly a hand fell down onto the grate. Sora smiled and tried to reach for it. "Kairi!"

The door in Wendy's cabin creaked open. The girl gave a sharp yell as she was pulled away. Kairi's hand was dragged away from the grate.

"Wendy!" shouted Peter. He turned to the others. "Quick, let's get up there!"

'I wonder where Iji is…?' Sora thought as he ran out the door.


	35. Chapter 35

Disclaimer: Not mine, yay!

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**Chapter 33- Too Much to Let Go**

Sora, Donald and Goofy had been ambushed as they entered Captain Hook's quarters. Sora stuck his Keyblade out in front of him, blocking the attack from Shadow Sora. He wished Peter hadn't of taken off with Wendy. The Heartless creature was almost as skilled as Sora was.

'You're in for a big surprise, Sora.' whispered Shadow Sora into his counterpart's mind.

'What are you on about?' asked Sora, leaping out of the way of another attack. Shadow Sora faltered as Donald hit him from behind with a fireball. Expertly, Sora delivered a final blow to the Heartless as he was in mid-air.

Shadow Sora shuddered as he disappeared down a dark hole. 'You'll see… She's gone from you again.'

Sora slumped down onto the ground from the battle and pulled a potion out from his pocket. He downed it in an instance and felt immediately refreshed.

"Here's the door that leads back onto the deck." said Donald.

"Ahyuk. I think I can hear someone outside." Goofy put an ear to the door.

"Let's go then," Sora frowned and burst through the door. Outside they came face-to-face with Riku. He held Kairi in his arms. Sora held his Keyblade up. "Put her down Riku, and tell me where Iji is."

Riku pretended to look surprised. "Oh, she's right here. Aren't you, Iji?" He quickly motioned behind him.

Sora nearly fell down when he saw her. She seemed to almost blend in with the darkness, melting out of it only when she stepped forward. Iji's eyes were bordering on being black pits of emptiness.

Iji smiled sadly. "I'm sorry, Sora, but I love him too much to let him go." She sidled up to Riku and hung onto one of his arms.

"We'll be waiting for you at Hollow Bastion, Sora." Riku said and a portal appeared below him, dragging him, Iji and Kairi inside.

Sora leapt forward, but too late as the portal closed. He slammed a fist on the wood beneath him. "Damn it, Riku. And just when you can't go any lower too."

"Quite a codfish that Riku, but he does seem to have his way with the ladies, don't you say?" laughed Hook as he emerged from one of the platforms above. He held a lantern up. Tinkerbell furiously pounded on the glass. "Now, hand over the Keyblade or prepare to walk the plank! Unless you want to see your little pixie friend hurt! Be glad I'm merciful, unlike the Heartless."

Donald and Goofy jumped at Captain Hook in attempt to make him drop Tinkerbell's cage. A horde of pirate Heartless popped out of the air and protected him, pushing Sora's fighting companions out of the way.

"Hand it over, boy." growled Hook. The pirate Heartless advanced on Sora.

Quickly, Sora unsummoned the Keyblade and backed up onto the plank. Below, a loud ticking noise drifted up from the ocean. Captain Hook shivered at the sound and looked overboard. He gave a frightened yell and ran into his cabin. Sora looked down too and saw a large green crocodile waiting beneath him with his jaws wide open. The Heartless advanced again and Sora stepped back, further and further down the plank until he was at the end. He turned to face the sea and the sky.

A voice that sounded much Peter Pan's whispered. 'Fly, Sora! Just believe and you can do it!'

Sora closed his eyes and jumped off. Falling, he thought about when Iji fought the Wind Titan and flew for the first time. Golden sparkles surrounded his body and lifted him up into the air, just inches from the crocodile's hungry jaws.

A hand flew down and snatched Tinkerbell's cage from Smee. Donald and Goofy pounced the pirate Heartless, defeating them in a surprise attack. Peter Pan grinned at Smee and in a blink of an eye pulled the portly pirate's hat down over his face and wrapped him in rope. He gave thumbs up to Sora and landed softly by the door. He knocked.

"Is that you, Smee?" asked a worried-voice Hook.

Peter held his nose and imitated Smee's voice. "Aye, Cap'n. They walked the plank, every last one of them!"

A sound of glee erupted from the cabin and Captain Hook rushed out. He blinked. Where was Smee? Suddenly he yelped as something sharp was poked into his backside. He whirled around and saw Peter Pan, Sora, Donald and Goofy laughing on the ground.

"Pe-Peter Pan! Arg! Blast you!" Hook took out his cutlass sword.

Peter twirled his dagger around and aimed it at Hook. "Are you ready to make a splash, you old codfish? Now it's your turn to walk the plank!"

*****

Hook screamed as he ran away from his impending doom with the crocodile. Peter Pan laughed as he watched.

Goofy rubbed his chin, deep in thought. "Uh, Kairi couldn't wake up, so maybe she's really lost her…" Donald clamped a hand over his mouth and pointed at Sora, who sat on one of the wooden rails.

Peter floated over to him. "Sora?"

Sora looked up at the sky and smiled. "I still can't believe it. I really flew! Wait till I tell Kairi! I wonder if she'll believe me. Probably not."

Peter put a hand on Sora's shoulder. "You can bring her to Neverland sometime. Then she can try it herself."

"If you believe, you can do anything, right?" asked Sora. Peter nodded. "I'll find Kairi again. I know I will. There's so much I want to her… About flying, the pirates, and everything else that's happened. And I'll find Iji too. She'd love to know I flew too."

"Sora, I don't know if Iji would want to come back with us." Donald interrupted.

Sora spun around to look at the magician. "Of course she'll want to come back with us! Why wouldn't she?"

Peter suddenly sighed. "She's in love with Riku, that's why. Just like how I like Wendy. Even if she went to the end of the universe, I'd still follow her no matter what. That's how much I care for her. And Iji must feel the same way about Riku."

Sora's shoulders slumped. "It's not fair. We were getting along so well, and we were finding her memories more easily than before. Riku's such a jerk now. I don't understand."

"There's gotta be a reason for it." commented Peter.

The Keyblade Master jumped up. "Well, we'll just have to go and ask her what's up then!"

Peter was interrupted by Tinkerbell. She flew around his head excitedly. "What's that Tink? What about the clock tower? You say there's something there?"

"Let's go then." said Sora.

*****

Riku gasped for air as he emerged from the portal he had opened. He fell to his knees and put Kairi on the ground. Iji had a look of concern on her face as she helped him to his feet again and helped to support his weight.

Maleficent leered down in disapproval. "It was reckless to bring them here without as least using a vessel. Remember, relying too heavily on the dark powers could cost you your Heart."

"He won't lose his Heart. Not while I'm around." Iji glared at the witch.

Maleficent raised an eyebrow. "So you decided to rejoin us once more, Iji? I'm not sure if it is a pleasure to have you here again or not, especially after you deserted us before."

Iji was about to say something when an enraged roar echoed throughout the castle.

"What was that?" coughed Riku, getting his breath back.

Maleficent turned her back to them and waved a hand. "A castaway. Though his world perished, his Heart did not. When you two took the princess from his castle, he apparently followed her through sheer force of will. But fear not. No harm will come to you. He is no match for your power."

"My power?" asked Riku.

The witch smiled slyly. "Yes, the untapped power that lies within you. Now, child, it's time you awakened that power, and realised your full potential!" She raised her staff up high and laughed as she finished.

Riku's body started to glow green. He shuddered in pain and grabbed onto Iji harder.

"Riku…" she whispered worriedly.

Riku smiled at Iji as the pain subsided. He could feel it, the new power inside him. He lent closer to her ear. "I'll protect you with these powers, Iji. I promise. We're meant to be together after all."

Iji hugged Riku softly. "Yes, we are. I'd even follow you to the end of the world."

*****

Sora sighed. Traverse town was so peaceful compared to the other worlds. He hoped everyone else was okay on those other worlds.

"Sora!" exclaimed Donald.

Goofy wagged a finger. "Now, just remember what Donald said to ya: no frowning, no sad faces."

The Keyblade Master felt irritated by their mood. "How can you be so cheerful? There's still no sign of your king. Aren't you worried?"

"Aw, phooey." commented Donald.

Goofy laughed. "The King told us to go out and find the Key Bearer, and we found you! So as long as we stick together, it'll all work out okay. Ya just gotta believe in yourself, that's all."

"Just believe…" Sora repeated in a breath.

'I believe in you.' whispered Kairi's voice.

Sora closed his eyes as he felt himself be drawn towards a bright light. He opened them and found he was floating in a library. An old woman sat in a rocking chair, knitting. She placed her knitting needles down and held her arms out as a small red haired girl jumped into her lap. The girl smiled as the chair rocked.

"Tell me a story, grandma?" asked the girl.

The old woman lent back in her chair. "Long ago, people lived in peace, bathed in the warmth of the Great Light. Everyone loved the light. But unfortunately, people then began to fight over the light, trying to get closest to it. And then families rose up against other families and tried to claim the Great Light for themselves. That was how darkness was born into their Hearts. The darkness spread, swallowing everyone's Hearts and covering the land. Even the Great Light could not pierce the darkness. And then one day a terrible thing happened. A child destroyed the Great Light using a powerful weapon nobody had ever seen before."

"Why did the child destroy the light?" the girl asked.

"That child was the first one to have their Heart taken by one of those who were of the darkness," explained the woman. "When that child destroyed the Great Light though, some of it was left behind in the form of fragments. The fragments hid within the Hearts of children that survived. With these fragments of light, children rebuilt the lost world. It's the world we live in now. But the true light of the Great Light sleeps deep within the darkness. That's why the worlds are still scattered, divided from each other. But someday, a door to the innermost darkness will open. And the true light will be reborn. So, listen, child. Even in the deepest darkness, there will always be a light to guide you. Believe in the light and the darkness will never defeat you. Your Heart will shine with its power and push the darkness away." The grandma paused. "Do you understand, Kairi?"

"Kairi?" asked Sora as the room disappeared and he soared back to Traverse Town.

"What's the matter?" asked Goofy as Sora opened his eyes.

"Um, nothing…" Sora said hastily. 'Kairi… Did you call me?' Sora thought. 'The story your grandma told… that was about Iji, wasn't it? I'm sure it was.'

Cid grumpily trudged back to his corner. "K, I installed the gummi. But ya know what? That there place is crawling with Heartless. Don' say I didn' warn ya though. Oh, and if you were in'erested, I just wanted to tell ya that there's a new tournament at the Colosseum. You might wanna stop by and train before heading off ta Hollow Bastion."

*****

Hercules wiped his brow and grinned. "Wow! And I didn't even hold back!"

Sora grinned back. "Now I finally know what you mean about strength of the Heart. Mine comes from my friends." During the battle, he swore he could almost hear Kairi cheering for him to win.

"Sora!" exclaimed Goofy, pointing at the Keyblade in his hand.

"Huh?" Sora looked down. The Keyblade was glowing. He could almost feel it steer itself towards the large rock cube that Phil had once asked them to move. "There must be a Keyhole underneath."

"Here, I'll help!" offered Hercules, picking up the cube like it was made out of foam. A shining Keyhole emerged from the ground.

"Time to seal the Colosseum!" Sora pointed the Keyblade and a ray of light shot out into the Keyhole. A click resounded, confirming the action.

"At last Olympus is safe from the Heartless." Phil nodded approvingly.


	36. Chapter 36

Disclaimer: Not mine, yay!

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**Chapter 34- Hollow Bastion: Light**

"Is that… Is that Hollow Bastion?" asked Sora wondrously, observing the world from above.

"Sure is," nodded Donald. "Let's see… That's bizarre, nothing on the world scanner about it."

"The sooner we land then, the better. Ahyuk." said Goofy eagerly.

The three touched down and exited into a valley made of blue floating rocks. Waterfalls surrounded the edge of the valley, but they fell up instead of down.

"Gwarsh, look at that!" Goofy gaped.

Sora stepped forward, staring at the castle. It towered majestically above them. "I know this place…"

Goofy raised an eyebrow at the castle and looked back at Sora. "Hm, that's strange."

Sora frowned. "I wonder why… I feel this warmth inside, right here." He placed a hand over his heart.

"Aw, you're just hungry." Donald scoffed and waves a hand.

"Hey! I'm serious!" retorted Sora. A roar from above interrupted them. In the distance, Sora was sure he could see someone he knew. "Let's go." He commanded and started leaping from rock to rock.

*****

"No vessel, no help from the Heartless… So, tell me, how'd you get here?" sneered Riku.

Beast glared at Belle's kidnapper with fury in his eyes. "I simply believed," he growled. "Nothing more to it. When our world fell into darkness by your hands and you took Belle from me, I vowed I would find her again no matter what the cost. I believed I would find her. So here I am. She must be here. I will have her back!"

"Take her if you can," challenged Riku.

Beast roared and plunged at the silver-haired boy. Inches before he could swipe at him with his claws, he heard the sound of wings and felt a pain in his side. Bellowing in pain, he fell to the ground. Blood dripped from a deep gash near his chest.

"I'm not letting you anywhere near him."

Beast looked up from his place on the ground. Black wings descended and landed next to Riku. The girl stood defiantly, looking for the world like an angel of death. Her dark eyes flashed dangerously as she twirled her weapons around as a warning to him.

Riku stepped forward, lording over Beast. "You should have let the darkness take you. It would have meant a less painful death." Riku pulled his bat-winged sword out and held it high.

"Stop!" A hand reached over the edge of the rock. Sora clambered up, followed by Donald and Goofy. "Don't kill him!"

Riku put his sword down and regarded Sora. "So, you finally made it. About time, Sora. We've been waiting for you."

Sora gripped onto his Keyblade harder. He didn't know what to expect.

Riku sighed. "We've always been rivals, haven't we? You've always pushed me as I've always pushed you."

Memories of their fights together on Destiny Islands floated through both their minds.

"Riku…" Sora lessened his grip on the Keyblade as he thought.

Riku clenched his fist and threw his sword to the ground. "But it all ends here! There can't be two Keyblade Masters!"

Sora's eyes widened. "What are you talking about?"

"It was here that I discovered who I was meant to be." Riku said, calming down. "The first time I told Iji how I felt for her. She showed me what I was meant to have." He stared at the Keyblade. The sides of his mouth curled up in a small knowing smile. "Let the Keyblade choose… its true master!"

Iji closed her eyes. There was a flash of light that temporarily blinded Sora. Donald and Goofy made sounds of disbelief. When Sora regained his eyesight, he gasped. The Keyblade had been transferred from his hand to Riku's. Riku looked the Keyblade over and made a few quick swipes, testing it and making sure it was for real.

"Maleficent was right." commented Riku. "You don't have what it takes to save Kairi. It's up to me and Iji. Only the Keyblade Master can open the secret door and change the world."

"Bu-but that's impossible!" Sora said, shocked. "How did this happen? I'm the one who fought my way here with the Keyblade!"

Iji reached down and held Riku's hand and looked over at Sora. "You were but the delivery boy, Sora."

'There's always a light, no matter how dark it is.' whispered a voice in Sora's mind as Iji spoke.

Riku interrupted Sora as he tried to understand the voice. "Sorry, your part's over now. Here," Riku threw a wooden sword at Sora's feet. "Go play hero with this." Riku side-glanced at Iji. "I'll meet you back up in the castle."

Iji nodded and spread her raven wings. She sent dust flying at Sora as she took off for the castle, Riku walked off in the same direction.

Donald trotted past Sora and looked back. "Goofy, let's go. We have to remember our mission."

"Oh! Well, I know the King told us to follow the Key and all…" Goofy slowly followed and stopped beside Sora.

"Sora, sorry…" Donald said sadly. He gave him a quick pat of the shoulder before leaving to join Riku. Goofy looked downtrodden as he trailed behind them.

Sora watched as they all disappeared onto a lift that floated up the castle.

"Belle, I'm coming." growled Beast. He struggled to his feet and staggered forward.

Sora quickly went to his aid. He pulled a potion out of his pocket. "Hey, don't move. You're hurt."

"Why… why did you… you come here? I came to fight for Belle." Beast breathed deeply as Sora poured some of the potion onto his wound. The wound slowly healed, allowing Beast to move again. He grunted a thank you as he got to his feet again. "And thought I am on my own, I will fight. I won't leave without her. That's why I'm here."

"Me too," Sora looked down at the wooden sword on the ground and picked it up. "I'm not gonna give up now. I came here to find someone very important to me. Kairi's waiting for me."

'There's always a light, no matter how dark it is.'

Sora turned his sights to the castle. "I hope you're right, Iji."

*****

A dark smile rose from Maleficent's twisted mouth. The room was lined with coffin-like pods and filled with six females, the Princesses of Heart. In the centre of the room Kairi's body laid in a similar structure. The pods glowed with an eerie blue light. Maleficent walked past her, thinking about what a waste of space she was and why the boy was so keen on keeping her even though her Heart had been taken.

"Oh purest of Hearts! Reveal to me the Keyhole!" Maleficent commanded, raising her arms and laughing.

From the Princesses on the walls, six beams of light erupted from their chests. The beams shot up into the air and ran into each other, deflecting up into another part of the hall and to a large empty keyhole-shaped frame. Dark cloudy colours burst into being as the beams of light pierced it. The colours swirled sickeningly. The beams of light from the Princesses flickered suddenly and died. Maleficent shot a look back at them and glowered.

"It seems seven is needed after all to finish the Keyhole." Maleficent scowled. She looked back at Kairi's unmoving body. "No…" she whispered in disbelief. "It must be her." Maleficent strode over to stare over Kairi. "Well, last princess, you can't hide forever. Your Heart will be mine."

*****

The door slowly creaked open, revealing a foyer. It had the air of once being a magnificent sight. Now pieces of plaster littered the floor and dust covered the faded murals that once vibrantly shone with colour. Beast and Sora crept into the foyer, careful to alarm anyone to their intrusion.

"Be on your guard," Beast warned Sora. "They're close, I can feel it. Are you ready for them?"

Sora nodded bravely and walked into the centre of the foyer.

Beast turned around and his eyes widened with shock and tears. "Belle…?" A beautiful woman in a golden gown stood in the doorway. She winked and smoke swirled around her. She was replaced instantly by a Shadow Heartless. It jumped up and down teasingly. Beast roared furiously at its taunt and ran after it.

"Beast!" Sora called after him. The door swung closed and locked. Plaster cracked under heavy footsteps. Sora whirled around. Riku had been waiting for him.

"You should quit while you're ahead." Riku threatened him, resting the Keyblade on his shoulder.

Sora frowned stubbornly. "No. Not without Kairi and Iji."

Riku returned the look. "Iji doesn't want to go back with you. You heard her before, she loves me. She let the darkness swallow her just so she could be with me. She can't come back with you now!" He swung the Keyblade off his shoulder. "It may have swallowed us, but it will destroy you!" Riku's clothes crackled with purple tinted lightning as he yelled. Slowly they melted into a dark coloured body-suit with the Heartless symbol emblazoned on the front.

"You're wrong, Riku." Sora replied, glaring. "The darkness may destroy my body, but it can't touch my Heart. My Heart will stay with my friends. It'll never die!"

Riku laughed. "Really… Well, we'll just see about that!" In a fluid motion, Riku released a globe of dark energy at Sora.

Sora stood his ground defiantly at the attack. Inches from him, Goofy leapt out from nowhere and raised his shield, guarding Sora.

"Goofy!" exclaimed Sora joyfully at the sight of his friend. He also saw Donald, standing off behind Riku.

"Sora ain't gonna go anywhere!" Goofy told Riku.

He raised his eyebrow. "You'd betray your king?"

Goofy shook his head. "Not on your life! But I'm not gonna betray Sora either, 'cause he's become one of my best buddies after all we've been through together!" Goofy looked over at Donald and waved. "See ya later, Donald! Could ya tell the King I'm really sorry?"

Donald ran over to him. "Hold on! We'll tell him together. All for one and one for all!"

Goofy laughed. "Ahyuck! I guess you're stuck with us again, Sora." He grabbed his friend up in a one armed hug.

Sora grinned, happy for their return. "Thanks a lot… Donald, Goofy."

"How will you fight without a weapon?" Riku yelled at Sora, interrupting their reunion.

Sora stepped forward to confront Riku. "I know now I don't the Keyblade." He threw away his wooden sword. "I've got a better weapon; my Heart!"

Riku laughed darkly. "Your Heart?! What good will that weak little thing do for you?"

Sora ignored his taunts and continued. "Although my Heart may be weak, it's not alone. It's grown with each new experience, and it's found a home with all the friends I've made. I've become a part of their Hearts just as much as they've become a part of mine. And if they think of me now and then… if they don't forget me… then our Hearts will be one. I don't need a weapon. My Friends are my power!"

'There's always a light…'

There was a flash of brilliant light as the Keyblade transported over to Sora's hand. He smiled at it.

Riku's face twitched furiously. "Why? Why did the Keyblade choose you over me?! I'm the True Keyblade Master!"

Sora looked up at Riku blankly. "When you choose the darkness, you make an enemy of the light."

The older boy stared at him in a kind of strange shock. "Iji said that once…" Riku shook himself out of his memories. "So, then you know too?"

Sora nodded. "Iji has my darkness,"

"And my light." Riku finished. With the Keyblade no longer in his hand, he summoned his bat-winged sword. "She's mine, Sora. And so is Kairi! She doesn't deserve to be with the likes of you! Not after how you betrayed us! We'd all be better of without you!"

He yelled sharply and ran at Sora, determined to win.


	37. Chapter 37

Disclaimer: Not mine, yay!

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**Chapter 35- Hollow Bastion: Darkness**

Sora stood over Riku, Keyblade pressed to the silver-haired boy's throat. Riku's clothes melted back into their original form as he stared nervously up at the Keyblade Master. Sora narrowed his eyes at Riku and released him from the Keyblade's cold touch.

Riku scrabbled to his feet and ran to the door at the top of the stairs. He kept running until he reached the Great Chapel. Tears fell down his face. "I fought so hard. I'm sorry, Iji. I don't want you to go. I don't want Sora to take you back. We were meant to be together, for the rest of eternity. You said it yourself that you'd follow me to the end of the world." He punched the wall as he thought about the Keyblade. "Why? It was mine! I was going to get Kairi's Heart back with it! And then I was going to live happily ever after with Iji."

"Fairy tales aren't always so simple."

Riku turned. A figure in a brown cloak stood before him. His hood covered his face. A harsh blue glow emanated off of him. The being's breath rattled deeply in his lungs.

"Know this; the Heart that is strong and true shall win the Keyblade."

Riku glared at him. "Are you saying my Heart is weaker than Sora's?"

The man nodded. "For that instant, it was. He believed he would win, and he did."

Riku shook his head in denial.

"However," the man continued. "You can become stronger. You showed no fear in stepping through the door to darkness. It held no terror for you. Plunge deeper into the darkness and your Heart will grow even stronger."

Riku shook his head again slowly as he thought. "I can't do it… not without Iji by my side. I can't leave her."

The man's voice grew stern. "Then she will have to join you. If she refuses, then you know what she meant wasn't true."

Riku considered his words, thinking about what he could achieve with the new powers this man offered. 'Would Iji come with me?' Riku thought. 'Of course she would. She loves me… But what about my light? We would have to give it up for it to work…'

"Your decision?" asked the man.

'I can't back out of something like this.' Riku nodded. "What should I do?"

The man's voice became softer. "It's really quite simple. Open yourself to the darkness. That is all. Let your Heart, your being, become darkness itself."

Darkness started to ooze out of the ground and flow around Riku's body. It turned into a green glow. Riku could feel the power welling up inside him, filling his being. Suddenly there was pain and deep laughter.

"Foolish boy, so gullible…" hissed the cloaked man. Streams of his blue light flew out to cover Riku.

"What…? What are you doing?" gasped Riku. There was terror in his voice.

"For so long I have waited for a suitable body. Now I have found it." The cloak faded away, leaving nothing but blue light and a dark silhouette.

"No!" yelled Riku, falling to his knees. "Iji! Please help me!"

The laughter intensified. "She's no longer yours, boy. I've been waiting for her too. She holds the answer to the final door! And from now on, she's mine!"

"Iji… I'm sorry…" Riku whispered. Everything started to fade away in front of him. It felt like he was dying inside. Darkness pulled him down. Soon there was nothing but a tiny pinprick of light in the distance.

*****

There was a throb of pain in Iji's heart. "Riku…?" she asked worriedly.

"Yes?" replied a voice.

Iji turned around. The door to her room had been opened so quietly she hadn't heard it. Riku smirked and raised an eyebrow at her. Iji jumped up. "I'm so glad you're back, Riku! I was getting worried…"

"Shh, it's okay now. I'm back." Riku walked over to her and put a finger on her lips to silence her.

As his finger touched her face, her eyes widened. "You're not Riku…"

In a flash, Riku's other hand wrapped around her throat. "How right you are." he mused, his voice changing into two. "It's been quite a while. Seven years I'm guessing, though it was hard to tell the time in that abyss and you… you haven't aged at all." His hand became tighter. Iji gasped for air. "Do you have any idea what I've been through? Seven years, I wandered around in that forsaken place! Seven years that door taunted me! Within my grasp, but so far away! But not anymore, now that I have you again..."

"No…" Iji's mind flashed back. A man stood over her, laughing as darkness tore at her being.

'Riku' smiled sinisterly. "Good, so you remember after all. And that reminds me. I never did get to finish my experiment, did I?" He pulled a jar out of his pocket. Iji struggled at the sight of it. With one hand, he popped the top off. The dark matter inside squirmed, then leapt at Iji. It landed on her face and entered her eyes.

Iji tried to scream, but her airway was constricted. 'Talara!' she shouted in her mind.

Talara's voice came weakly. 'I can't…fight it... Goodbye, Iji… I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help.'

'No, listen! The last feather! Hide yourself in there! I'll get you back!' Iji yelled frantically. The remnants of light that fought for freedom inside her retreated. With a quick movement of her hand and before the darkness swallowed her totally, Iji plucked her last white feather and stowed it in her pocket. Then she let the shadows cloud her vision.

He let go of her. She dropped to the ground. "Get up," he ordered. She rose to her feet. Her eyes were completely empty. "Whose are you?" he asked, eyes narrowed.

"I'm… all yours…" she smiled emptily.

"Good," he smirked. "I have a job for you."

*****

The battle up to the Great Chapel had been exhausting on Sora, Donald and Goofy. They had hardly any magic left to heal their wounds.

"Take this!" Sora sliced a Wizard Heartless in half. Sora sighed in relief and leant against a wall. Donald tossed him an elixir, which Sora downed in an instant. "Thanks," Sora wiped his mouth.

"Do you guys hear that?" inquired Goofy. He pointed to a darkened doorway.

Sora left his spot on the wall and joined him. He walked a little way into the entrance and strained his ears.

"So, I see that the path has emerged at last." A strange voice echoed down from a set of stairs. It sounded familiar, yet it didn't.

"Yes, the Keyhole to darkness." answered a female voice. Sora could tell it belonged to Maleficent.

"Unlock it and the Heartless will overrun this world.' There was a hint of relish in the first voice.

"What do I care? The darkness holds no power over me. Rather, I will use its power to rule all worlds." Maleficent's voice grew louder.

"Such confidence…"

There was a moment of silence.

"Oh! Impossible! The Princesses of Heart are all here!" gasped Maleficent. "Except for her…" Again there was silence.

"She cannot hide forever. Rest assured, have patience and she will appear. She is the last piece missing from our puzzle, but no matter. If need be, the door can be forced open."

"Forced open? How will that be possible?"

"I may be able to persuade Iji. She is quite taken with me to be honest." The strange voice chuckled.

Sora growled as he listened. "Riku, you piece of scum!"

There was a clatter. Sora turned. Goofy grinned in embarrassment and picked up his fallen shield.

"The king's fools are here." Maleficent said in a hushed tone. "I'll deal with them myself. You go and guard the Princesses."

Sora gave Goofy a death-stare. "Great way to be stealthy…"

"Gwarsh, sorry Sora. I'm a knight, not a ninja." Goofy explained clumsily.

"Let's get up there then." Donald motioned towards the stairs.

The trio ran up the stairway and burst through a set of large oak doors. Maleficent stood on the podium, smiling slyly. "My, my. I'm afraid you're too late. Any moment now, the final Keyhole will be unsealed. This world will be plunged into darkness. It is unstoppable."

"We'll stop it." Sora retorted, looking deadly serious. "After coming this far, there's no way we're gonna let that happen!"

"You poor, simple fools…" Maleficent mused. "Don't you see that your departure into darkness is inevitable? The time of the Keyblade Master is drawing to an end, along with the light. When I open the last door, everything will become darkness and I will rule over it all!" Her evil laugh boomed throughout the castle. Underneath her, the rock podium split from the ground and rose into the air.

Sora charged at the floating boulder and started to slice away at it. "Goofy! Attack Maleficent! Donald! Cast Aero on us and keep back!"

*****

Maleficent glared at Sora and faded as a portal appeared. Splatters of blood dripped onto the ground as she left.

"She's hiding in there somewhere." Sora healed himself and strode into the portal. Maleficent held her side and leaned on her staff awkwardly in the middle of the hall. "Tell me where Riku and Iji are!" demanded Sora.

"Never…tell…" wheezed Maleficent. She attempted to cast a spell, but failed.

"Do you need some help?" asked a semi-familiar voice.

"Riku!" Sora turned. Riku walked past him to beside Maleficent.

"Is that-?" Donald gaped at the weapon in Riku's hand.

"Yes. A Keyblade." Riku looked his new weapon up and down. The design of it was demonic, seeming to have been cast straight from out of the darkness. "But unlike yours," Riku sneered at Sora's Keyblade. "this Keyblade has the power to unlock people's Hearts. Allow me to demonstrate… Behold!" In a quick, fluid motion, Riku swung around and stabbed his Keyblade deep into Maleficent's chest. "Now, open your Heart, surrender it to the darkness! Become darkness itself!"

Just as Sora gasped, Riku disappeared.

Maleficent started to glow a sickly shade of green. Her wounds healed right before the group's eyes. "This is it!" The witch laughed, almost disbelieving what she was feeling. "This power! Darkness… The true darkness!" The glow surrounded her turned into flames and engulfed her. Her body twisted as it morphed into a dark coloured dragon. Green flames shot out of Maleficent's mouth as she reared up and attacked.

"Duck!" yelled Sora, pushing Donald and Goofy to the ground.

"Do you mean Donald?" asked Goofy, grinning foolishly.

Donald slapped Goofy across the face. "There's no time to be stupid! Come on!"

Sora ran around the back of Maleficent as Donald and Goofy distracted her. Using the Keyblade as a vault, Sora leapt onto the dragon's back and ran up her spine. Maleficent shook her body to try and kick Sora off. The Keyblade Master held fast and made his way onto her head. Maleficent swiped at him, but Sora rolled back and instead she raked herself across her eyes, blinding her. She bellowed in pain. Sora took the chance and started to attack her face and neck. Before long, Maleficent screeched in an un-human voice. Sora jumped off just as she was again engulfed in flames. This time, all that was left was a tattered black cloak.

"The bigger they are, the harder they fall!" Sora laughed in triumph. He was interrupted as Riku appeared once more. He smirked and walked over to the coat and spat on it.

"How ironic." he said out loud to nobody in particular. "She was just another puppet after all."

"What?" Donald asked.

Riku turned around to face them. "The Heartless were using Maleficent from the beginning. She failed to notice the darkness in her Heart eating away at her. A fitting end for such a fool." He rubbed his spit into the cloak with a foot and it disappeared. He glanced up at Sora. "I'll be waiting for you up in the Grand Hall." He faded once more.

"Riku!" Sora yelled at the empty space. He spun around and ran out the portal. Donald and Goofy ran after him, calling for him to slow down.


	38. Chapter 38

Disclaimer: Not mine, yay!

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**Chapter 36- **

"Alice!" Sora looked in through the glass that contained the blonde haired girl. The pod that held her glowed a bright blue. Sora observed the other pods. They all contained women that seemed oddly recognizable. 'The women on those stained glass floors in my dream…' Sora thought.

"Sora!" Donald yelled. "Come and see this!"

Sora's head jerked up towards where the magician was, halfway up the grand staircase. Sora ran up and past him. At the top of the stairs was the largest Keyhole he'd ever seen. The insides of the Keyhole swirled in a mass of ever-changing colours, making Sora feel a little ill at the sight of it. Something caught his eye. In the middle of the floor there was a body.

"K-Kairi…" Sora whispered, eyes becoming wide. "Kairi!" he shouted happily and ran to her. He didn't notice Goofy and Donald bounce backwards off an invisible shield as they tried to follow him. Sora bent over Kairi. "Come on, open your eyes!" he gently shook her.

"It's no use." Riku hissed, sitting above on the Keyhole's frame. "That girl has lost her Heart. She cannot wake up."

"What?" Sora stared into Riku's eyes. There was something wrong with them. "You… you're not Riku." Sora said slowly.

"The Keyhole cannot be completed so long as the last Princess of Heart still sleeps." He glanced down at Kairi.

"The Princess?" Sora asked, looking down at Kairi. "Wait… Kairi's a Princess?"

"Yes, and without her power the Keyhole will remain incomplete. It is time she awakened." Whoever it was that held Riku's form leapt down from the Keyhole and floated down to the floor.

Sora stood up and held his Keyblade, ready to attack. "Whoever you are, let Riku go! Give him back his Heart!"

"But first, you must give the Princess back her Heart." The false Riku held up his Keyblade. Sora fell to his knees as he felt a pang of pain in his heart. His eyes were wide in question. The holder of the dark Keyblade laughed deeply. "Don't you see yet? The Princess's Heart is responding! It has been there all along! Kairi's Heart rests within you."

"Kairi… Kairi's inside me?" Sora held a hand over his pounding heart.

"I know all there is to know."

"Tell me… Who are you?" Sora stared into his eyes.

He smirked and laughed. "It is I, Ansem, the seeker of darkness."

Sora's eyes were wide with shock. How could it be? The man who had written all those reports… All that time… all along… it had been him… What had this man done to Riku? And where was Iji?

"I shall release you now, Princess. Complete the Keyhole with your power. Open the door, lead me into everlasting darkness!"

"Sora!" Donald and Goofy yelled as Ansem/Riku raised his dark Keyblade.

Sora looked up. The blade was coming for him. "No!" Sora held his own Keyblade high and blocked the attack. "There's no way you're taking Kairi's Heart!" He swung around onto his feet and lashed out with his weapon.

Ansem jumped back, avoiding it. "You're a fool, Keyblade Master. Even if you manage to protect her Heart, I'll still find a way. There's more than one way to open up the door."

Sora gritted his teeth. "Iji…"

A small smile spread across the fake Riku's face. "Yes…" he hissed.

"She'd never do anything for you, you monster." Sora glared at him.

Ansem's smile grew. "I think you're quite mistaken there, Sora." He looked over Sora's shoulder.

Sora followed his gaze, and felt his breath hitch in his lungs. Iji hung limply inside a blue pod on a ledge on the far wall. She looked pale and close to death in the way her head hung, resting on her chest. Sora roared in anger and turned back to face Ansem. "What have you done to her?!"

Ansem continued to gaze up at Iji. "Nothing really, I just gave her what her Heart desires, though she too is a fool. Her love is but an illusion, one that fortunately has proved to be of an advantage to me. As long she continues to love this boy, she will forever follow me and be my slave. The power she contains is mine now."

"Then I'll defeat you so she can be free again!" Sora yelled and charged at him.

"Fool," Ansem replied, blocking his Keyblade. "She doesn't want to be free! She'd rather die with me! Iji! Come tell him I'm right!"

Sora gasped and glanced back at the pod. It was empty. He turned around and came face-to-face with Iji. Her eyes were dark pits, darker than the night.

"Please, do not harm Riku." Iji whispered peacefully and smiled. She spread her wings out to protect Ansem.

"Iji, no! Don't protect him! He's using you!" Sora shouted at her.

"It's no use," Riku's voice came from behind Iji's wings. "She loves me too much Sora. Would you hurt her just to get to me?"

"Please, do not harm Riku." Iji repeated to Sora.

Riku laughed. "You know, I really must thank Iji later, not only for her unwavering loyalty."

"Why's that?" Sora growled.

Riku patted his Keyblade. "It was thanks to her that I was able to obtain this."

"What? How?" Sora flinched.

"Using the Hearts of the other Princesses, she forged them together along with her own darkness to form this. It's far superior to your own Keyblade." he explained, sneeringly. "Now, are you going to attack me or are you afraid you'll hurt your best friends even more?"

Sora shut his eyes. "Iji, I know you're still in there somewhere. Forgive me for this, okay?" Using the flat side of his Keyblade he hit Iji over the head. The girl slowly dropped to the floor, passed out. With Iji out of the way, Sora leapt at Ansem and cut him across the chest.

"You'll pay for that." Ansem hissed.

"Bring it on then," Sora narrowed his eyes. "I'm gonna pay you back for all the suffering you've brought to everyone."

*****

The final blow left Riku on his knees. He looked up into Sora's eyes darkly.

"Riku!" Sora called out as he faded. The dark Keyblade he held clattered onto the ground.

Donald and Goofy ran to Sora to make sure he was alright. Sora stood quietly while Donald healed him.

"There!" Donald announced as he finished. Sora remained quiet. "Sora?"

Sora hung his head. "I wish… I just wish none of this had ever had to happen. I didn't choose to be the Keyblade Master; I never even knew there was such a thing. I wish we were still all back on our island."

"But Sora," Goofy put a hand on his shoulder. "Your island is gone and now you're its only hope. And you wouldn't have met so many new friends and gone to so many new worlds if you hadn't of left!"

Sora glanced over at Iji, still unconscious on the floor. "But then, maybe Iji would have been happier instead of getting mixed up with us." He went over to her and knelt down. Her breathing was light.

"Sora…"

Sora blinked and looked around the platform. "Did someone just call my name?"

"Sora…"

Sora looked back down at Iji. The voice seemed to be coming from her. "Where are you?"

"Here…"

Sora noticed something white sticking out of Iji's pocket. Sora pulled it out. It was a white feather, as pure as snow.

"Sora..."

"Talara." Sora whispered.

"Return me when the time is right." The feather slightly quivered.

"I will." Sora promised and put the feather in his own pocket.

"Sora, look!" Donald pointed up at the Keyhole.

"The Keyhole!" Goofy nodded.

Sora stood up and pointed the Keyblade at the Keyhole. A light appeared on the end of the blade and flickered weakly. Sora inspected the Keyblade. "Why won't it work?"

"The Keyhole's not finished yet, Sora." Donald said.

Sora unsummoned the Keyblade and threw his arms up into the air. "What do we do now then?"

"Er…" Goofy scratched his head. "Maybe we've gotta go wake Kairi up."

There was a pang inside his heart again. Sora thought for a minute before answering. "I think you're right. If we can free her Heart… But… but how?"

Goofy and Donald shrugged.

"How…?" Sora whispered to himself and let his gaze fall to the floor and upon the dark Keyblade. "A Keyblade that unlocks people's Hearts… I wonder." The Keyblade Master walked slowly over to it and picked it up.

"Sora!" Goofy exclaimed.

"No, wait!" Donald exclaimed as well.

Sora looked back at his two travelling companions and remembered all the good times they had enjoyed together. Giving his trademark grin he held the dark Keyblade to his chest and shoved it into his heart. Small sparkles of golden light drifted away from Sora's body. The dark Keyblade shone and burst into six glittering Hearts which returned to their owners. Another Heart followed, falling out of Sora's chest and into Kairi's. The red haired girl suddenly burst back into life, taking deep swallowing breaths of air.

"Sora! Sora!" Donald yelled.

Kairi gasped and looked back. Sora was floating above the ground, his body fading quickly and disintegrating into golden light. "Sora!" she screamed and jumped up to grab onto him. Just as her hand touched him he faded into nothingness.

"Sora! Come back!" Goofy called.

*****

"What's… What's happening to me?" Sora questioned the darkness that swallowed him. "Falling… falling… into darkness…"

*****

A pair of violet eyes cried tears and stared up into the air. "Sora, are you really…" Kairi sniffed back her tears. "No. He can't be! I won't let him go!"

The sound of deep footsteps alerted Kairi. She whirled around and gasped. Donald and Goofy jumped in to protect her from the tall man in front of her. Ansem laughed deeply. "So, you have awakened at last, Princess." He looked down his nose at Goofy and Donald and their attempt to shield the girl. "The Keyhole is now complete. You have served your purpose and all that is left to do now is use the lock to open the door. But it's over for you now." Ansem stepped towards the three of them with an outstretched hand.

"Don't make another move!" warned Donald. He waved his staff threateningly.

Goofy leant over to Donald. "Do you think we can stop him all by ourselves?" he asked quietly.

"I don't know." Donald whispered back.

Suddenly Ansem stopped and started to shake. He strained to try and move. "Impossible…" he grunted.

A glowing yellow being emerged before Ansem and held his arms out wide. "No! You won't use me for this!" Riku yelled.

Kairi stared at the ghostly figure. "Riku!" she gasped.

Riku struggled against Ansem. He gazed into Kairi's eyes. "You've gotta run! The Heartless at coming!" As he finished a swarm of Heartless appeared at Ansem's back. Riku stared wildly at them and turned back to Kairi. "Hurry! And please, take Iji with you! I don't want her here! No matter what, keep her away from Ansem! I don't want him to use her again! Now get out of here!"

Kairi nodded sadly and helped Goofy to get Iji over his shoulder. The four of them ran down the stairs and out of the hall.

"What about the Keyhole?" Goofy asked Donald.

"Let's just get out of here! We'll deal with it later!" Donald leapt into one of the elevators and activated the switch to take them down.

Behind them, a lone shadow Heartless followed. It looked around cautiously and jumped down the elevator shaft after them.

*****

"Kairi! Hurry!" Goofy urged the last Princess of Heart. She stood at the top of the staircase, gazing back.

"I can't leave him behind!" Kairi cried.


End file.
